Iraq’s Najaf city records high rates of crime

A report, issued by the Iraqi judicial authorities in the Iraqi province of Najaf, revealed a notable rise in the rate of crimes committed in the province during the past year, compared to previous years. However, the security authorities in the province of Karbala said that more than a thousand suspects have been arrested in the crimes of murders, robbery and theft during first third of this year, as over 200 defendants have been convicted.

Many Experts attributed these high rates of crime to widespread corruption among the security services, the level of militias and high rates of poverty and unemployment in general and southern Iraq in particular. According to a report issued by the judiciary in Najaf on Thursday, there are about 50 kinds of crimes committed in the city, most notably murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, fraud and theft. The main cities in Najaf have been at the forefront of crimes, while reduced in small and remote villages and towns.

Iraqi security expert Mohammed Najafi said, "The proportions of crimes are increasing in the cities of southern Iraq in a frightening manner.” He added that the city of Najaf is at the forefront of the proportion and number of crimes committed, including murder, kidnapping, theft, fraud and looting of state funds, due to the proliferation of organized gangs and armed militias without legal deterrent.

He blamed the presence of dozens of armed militias in the cities of the south and the entry of Iranian visitors without security checks in addition to the spread of drugs, high rates of poverty and unemployment and corruption for the current increasing number of crimes witnessed in the city.

Member of Sadrist Movement Hussein Basry described the high number of crimes recorded in the city as a security disaster, saying that such number reflects the domination of armed militias on the situation of the country’s southern cities.