Son of Najaf Governor Arrested on Drug Charges

The son of the governor of Najaf was arrested on drug-related charges. (AFP)
The son of the governor of Najaf was arrested on drug-related charges. (AFP)
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Son of Najaf Governor Arrested on Drug Charges

The son of the governor of Najaf was arrested on drug-related charges. (AFP)
The son of the governor of Najaf was arrested on drug-related charges. (AFP)

The son of the governor of the Iraqi region of Najaf was arrested on drug-related charges, sparking uproar among the people due to the province’s religious significance.

Jawad Louay al-Yasseri and two others were arrested for drug dealing and they are being held in prison in southwestern Baghdad.

Security forces seized in their possession 5.6 kilograms of cannabis, 7,000 narcotic pills and a pistol, said Iraqi police sources.

If convicted, they may face sentences as severe as the death penalty or life in prison.

Najaf is home to the shrine of Imam Ali and several senior Shi’ite figures live in the province.

The arrest of the three suspects sheds light on the growing drug trade in Iraq and the consequent rise in the number of abusers over the past few years.

This prompted the premiership to issue in early 2017 a decree to form a committee of concerned university professors to assess the drug trade in the country.

Jawad’s father, Louay, issued on Sunday a statement stressing that since assuming his duties as Najaf governor, he has been keen on imposing the rule of law on all people, regardless of their standing or position.

“This includes my family, which has prestigious and respected roots,” he added.

“We are all citizens governed by the law,” he declared.

He however criticized the media for highlighting his son’s role in the case, while failing to spotlight his accomplices, saying that these actions were politically motivated given that Iraq is holding elections in May.



WHO Chief Says He Was at Yemen Airport as Israeli Bombs Fell Nearby

FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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WHO Chief Says He Was at Yemen Airport as Israeli Bombs Fell Nearby

FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
FILE: A crater is seen on the tarmac of the international airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

A wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's main airport Thursday just as the World Health Organization’s director-general said he was about to board a flight there. One of the UN plane’s crew was wounded, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by Yemen's Houthis at the international airport in the capital Sanaa, as well as power stations and ports, alleging they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials, The AP reported.

UN associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said the rest of the U.N. team left the airport and are “safe and sound” in Sanaa, and the injured crew member is being treated in a hospital, she said.

Last week, Israeli jets bombed Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Israel's latest wave of strikes in Yemen follows several days of Houthi launches setting off air-raid sirens in Israel. The Houthis have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.