At Border with Iran, Iraq PM Vows to fight Customs Corruption

Iraqi border police stand guard on the Iraqi side of the Mandili crossing with Iran on July 11, 2020. (AFP)
Iraqi border police stand guard on the Iraqi side of the Mandili crossing with Iran on July 11, 2020. (AFP)
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At Border with Iran, Iraq PM Vows to fight Customs Corruption

Iraqi border police stand guard on the Iraqi side of the Mandili crossing with Iran on July 11, 2020. (AFP)
Iraqi border police stand guard on the Iraqi side of the Mandili crossing with Iran on July 11, 2020. (AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi launched a new campaign on Saturday against corruption at the country's borders, saying millions of dollars were being lost by not properly taxing imported goods.

Speaking at the Mandili crossing on the border with Iran, Kadhimi said Iraq's frontier had become "a hotbed for corrupt people".

"This is the beginning of our promise to combat corruption. The first phase is to protect border crossings with new security forces," he said.

"The second is to fight 'ghosts' trying to blackmail Iraqis, and the third is to automate the crossing with new technology," the premier said, standing alongside Border Crossing Commission head Omar al-Waeli.

In response to a question by AFP, Kadhimi added: "We encourage businessmen (importing goods) to pay the customs, not the bribes."

"This will serve as a message to all corrupt people."

Iraq imports virtually all of its consumer goods from either its eastern neighbor Iran or its northern neighbor Turkey.

But government officials, foreign diplomats and businessmen have long complained that the import process at both borders is complicated and rife with corruption.

They accuse customs offices of getting kickbacks from traders in exchange for charging no or low import duties.

In June, Finance Minister Ali Allawi said the government would seek to boost its non-oil revenues, including through import duties, to make up for the collapse in state income from falling oil prices.

"The ports should give us revenues of seven trillion Iraqi dinar a year. We only get one trillion right now," he told reporters at the time.

"To close that gap, we'll need a string of reforms to the customs administration," he said.

Mandili was established in 2014 and is currently controlled by a mix of intelligence forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-sponsored network of groups including many close to Tehran.

There was no noticeable activity at the border on Saturday, as all of Iraq's 32 crossings remain officially closed to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

PMF fighters could be seen standing in the blistering midsummer sun.

Iraq is ranked one of the top 20 most corrupt countries in the world according to Transparency International, with some $450 billion in public funds vanishing into the pockets of shady politicians and businessmen since 2003.

Every premier has pledged new measures to fight corruption but few have been able to make a dent in the deep-rooted practices across the public and private sector.



UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday slammed as "unacceptable" the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza, a spokesman said, calling the loss of life in the territory "unthinkable".

"The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"We are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza (and) the secretary-general condemns the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid," he said. "It is unacceptable civilians are risking and in several instances losing their lives just trying to get food."

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation.

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after.

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting.

The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".

However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies.

On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire.

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution "fabrications" by Hamas.