Iraqi anti-corruption raid on five homes south of Mosul uncovers weapons, no cash

MOSUL, Iraq — A joint team from Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission and SWAT forces raided five houses in the village of Miryer, south of Mosul, late at night as part of a corruption investigation. The operation was conducted on intelligence-based leads and targeted large sums of cash suspected to be proceeds of corruption linked to a former official. A security source said the search did not recover the cash being sought. During the raids, three Kalashnikov rifles and an unlicensed PKC machine gun were seized, and legal proceedings were opened over the weapons. The homes targeted were reported to belong to individuals who had worked closely with the former official during his tenure. The operation comes amid an ongoing wave of arrest and search warrants against officials and lawmakers accused of misusing public funds in several Iraqi cities. The campaign expanded after Iraqi Parliament members' immunity was lifted following a process that began in Baghdad's Green Zone on June 28, leading to the detention of several sitting lawmakers and senior officials. The detentions were based partly on statements provided by former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan Jumaili after his arrest in May. The Supreme Judicial Council has said hundreds of kilograms of gold have also been recovered as part of the investigations.