Gunmen shot and killed a judge specialising in drug-related cases on Saturday, in the southern province of Maysan. Officials say the province, which borders Iran, has become a focal point for drug trafficking.
Judge Ahmed Faisal Khasaf was driving home in his car in the provincial capital of Amara when assailants blocked his route and sprayed his vehicle with bullets, AFP reported, citing a police officer and a forensic official.
A cowardly and terrorist act that was carried out by criminal gangs
Iraqi Judge,
Faiq Zaidan
Mr Khasaf was shot 15 times with a Kalashnikov and died on the spot after suffering gunshot wounds to the head and chest, they said.
The identity of the killers remains unknown. Judicial authorities have launched an investigation.
The Head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Faiq Zaidan, decried the assassination as a “cowardly and terrorist act that was carried out by criminal gangs”.
Mr Zaidan described the judge as “brave and competent in facing the outlaw gangs”.
In September, another anti-drug judge escaped an assassination attempt in the same province, AFP said.
Drug trafficking and abuse have been growing rapidly in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Since then, the country has been transformed from being a corridor for smuggling drugs to neighbouring countries, to a place where consumption is hitting unprecedented levels.
Security and health officials blame what they describe as successive weak governments, as well as widespread corruption among security forces, porous borders and a lack of co-operation between government agencies as the main reasons behind the rise.
A growing sense of lawlessness has also been apparent in Maysan province.
It is not only at the heart of the country’s thriving drug scene, but has also witnessed a rise in bloody tribal disputes, where confrontations can last for days with security forces unable to prevent the violence.
In a recent dispute between two major tribes, Katyusha rockets were used, security and local officials said, injuring an unconfirmed number of people.
Judge Zaidan held the security forces in the province accountable for their “clear shortcoming in doing their duties”.
Initial reports, he said, indicated a “wilful negligence for not taking the necessary measures to ensure security in the province”.
The assassination came days after the murder of an Interior Ministry officer in Maysan and the killing of an Interior Ministry colonel during a raid to hunt down a drug dealer in the southern Diwaniyah province.
In a statement, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi dispatched a high-ranking security committee headed by the Interior Minister to the province to investigate the latest killings and evaluate the security situation.
Mr Al Kadhimi described the assassinations as "organised criminal acts" and vowed that the government "will not stay motionless about these heinous crimes that threaten peace and stability".
"Our security forces will spare no effort to enforce law and to bring criminals to justice," he added.
At the slain judge's funeral, his coffin was wrapped in the Iraqi flag with a bouquet of flowers during a procession on Sunday morning. Dozens of sobbing mourners walked behind the pick-up truck carrying his casket.
"The province is uncontrollable," a man identified himself as Mr Kasaf's brother said in a video clip uploaded to social media, while tightly holding a sobbing woman.
"The government can't protect itself, there are a lot of rifles around," he added.
Security and health officials have been warning that violence linked to drug dealing is spiralling out of control, while authorities are under-resourced to deal with the problem.
Crystal meth, a synthetic drug — produced using man-made chemicals as opposed to plants — is widely used in Iraq. It comprises about 60 per cent of the country’s drug trade, the government says. The second most popular drug is Captagon, having overtaken tramadol, heroin and hashish in terms of use.
Interior Ministry figures show that authorities seized about 420 kilograms of crystal meth and 50 to 60 million Captagon tablets in the first half of last year. That was more than 20 times the amount seized in the previous two years combined.
Security forces have intensified efforts to crack down on the trade, often announcing drug seizures and the arrest of traffickers on a daily basis.
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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
