Iraq secures cave with underground river and blind fish in Anbar's Hit district

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Interior Ministry said security forces have placed a natural cave containing an underground river and blind freshwater fish in the Hit district of Anbar province under a security perimeter. Major General Mikdad Miri, head of the ministry's media and relations directorate, said the Hit district police, operating under the Anbar police command, implemented protection measures at the exploration site in the Hisfi area. Miri said the Environment Police reached the cave last week and established a security cordon around it. The ministry said the measures were taken to protect public safety and prevent damage to the rare geological and biological formation. The ministry added that specialized teams will be dispatched to the site to study and document the cave's unusual ecosystem. It said all necessary steps will continue to be taken to safeguard the site's scientific value. No further details on the timing of the expert mission were immediately available.