Iraq’s Ministry of Justice warned Sunday that repeated drone attacks near Baghdad International Airport pose a danger to a nearby prison holding high-risk al-Qaeda inmates.
In a statement, the ministry said areas around the airport and Airport Prison - also known as Karkh Central Prison near Abu Ghraib - have been struck several times in recent days. The most serious attack occurred late Saturday, when projectiles landed close to the facility.
“Some of these strikes occurred near the prison, raising concerns about the security of a facility that houses highly dangerous terrorist prisoners,” the ministry said.
Authorities stressed that security measures remain in place but warned that projectiles landing nearby could disrupt precautionary plans or damage prison infrastructure.
The attacks targeted the Logistics Support Center at Baghdad airport, which has faced multiple drone strikes in recent days. The facility is located near Victoria Base, where US military advisers are stationed. Karkh Central Prison, next to the airport, is believed to hold al-Qaeda members transferred from Syria to Iraq.
A security source said inmates have been chanting slogans inside the prison whenever drones strike nearby, apparently hoping the attacks might create an opportunity to escape.
Electricity to the prison was also cut after unidentified attackers struck the al-Zaytoun power station, which supplies the facility, the source said. Authorities activated backup generators to maintain operations.
The source warned the situation could echo the 2013 prison break, when hundreds of militants escaped Iraqi prisons and later helped extremist groups seize large parts of Iraq in 2014 after advancing from Syria.
An Iraqi security official said air defenses at the Logistics Support Center, formerly Camp Victoria, engaged three explosive-laden drones on Saturday evening.
The drones were shot down near the US facility and the Martyr Mohammed Alaa Air Base, the source said, without providing details on casualties or damage. Another drone approaching the airport earlier Saturday was also intercepted.
Political Reaction
Iraq’s Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite political factions, condemned what it described as attacks targeting positions of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and other security units that left several personnel dead or wounded.
The bloc said the strikes violate Iraq’s sovereignty and threaten national stability, while reiterating opposition to attacks on state infrastructure and diplomatic missions.
The statement came hours after a strike killed three PMF members at a site in Baghdad, followed by a rocket attack on the US Embassy in the capital.
Calls to Review US Security Pact
Meanwhile, Shiite lawmakers are pushing to cancel the US-Iraq security agreement signed in 2009 under former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
MP Saqr Hassan of the Sadiqoun bloc said he had collected more than 170 parliamentary signatures requesting that the agreement’s cancellation be debated in the next session. He added the move was prompted by what lawmakers describe as US violations of the agreement, calling recent actions “a betrayal and an unjustified attack.”
Lawmakers are also awaiting a decision from parliamentary leaders on holding a special session to debate canceling the pact and possibly closing the US Embassy in Baghdad.
