• Iraqi security forces arrested 47 officials in a major anti-corruption operation.
• The arrests occurred at dawn in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
• Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to combat long-standing corruption.
• The crackdown is part of a broader campaign following the detention of a deputy oil minister.
• Authorities seized significant cash linked to corruption cases during the operation.

Early Sunday, Iraqi security forces conducted a large-scale anti-corruption operation, resulting in the arrest of 47 officials, including members of parliament. The operation unfolded in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which houses key government institutions and embassies, according to reports from the Iraqi News Agency (INA) and Al Jazeera.

The Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) led the raids based on prior intelligence gathered during ongoing investigations into widespread corruption. Authorities had lifted parliamentary immunity for some of those arrested, including MPs from former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s political bloc. Following the recent detention of Adnan al-Jumaili, deputy oil minister, further arrest warrants were issued based on his confessions, which implicated a larger network of officials, reports Reuters and India Times.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office in May, has prioritized combating corruption, a deeply entrenched issue in Iraq, which ranks highly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. The recent crackdown follows the recovery of over $85 million in cash linked to ongoing investigations. The authorities have noted that the crackdown aims to challenge both financial corruption and its connections to illegal political funding, as stated by legal and security sources cited by Middle East Eye.

As security forces sealed off the entrances to the Green Zone, reports indicated that some suspects fled before being apprehended. The campaign is expected to continue, extending beyond the initial arrests, as Iraq's leadership seeks to restore public trust in government institutions, according to sources from India Times and Reuters.