Afghanistan, Nov. 15 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has dismissed nine senior officials and ordered judicial action against suspects following an investigation into alleged oil smuggling in an area controlled by an Iran-backed armed group.
On November 15, Al Jazeera reported that the dismissals followed an emergency security meeting in which al-Zaidi reviewed an investigative committee's findings on suspected oil smuggling in Jurf al-Nasr, in Babil province, south of Baghdad. Military spokesman Sabah al-Numan said the investigation confirmed the existence of illegal oil refineries and documented irregularities and manipulation linked to the operations.
The nine officials removed included Babil's provincial police chief, the director...