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Beirut Blast Prompts Calls in Iraq to Inspect Containers at Border Crossings

Iraqi Border Guards are seen at the border gate between Iraq and Iran after it partially reopened at the Shalamcheh Border Crossing, Iraq July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
Iraqi Border Guards are seen at the border gate between Iraq and Iran after it partially reopened at the Shalamcheh Border Crossing, Iraq July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
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Beirut Blast Prompts Calls in Iraq to Inspect Containers at Border Crossings

Iraqi Border Guards are seen at the border gate between Iraq and Iran after it partially reopened at the Shalamcheh Border Crossing, Iraq July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
Iraqi Border Guards are seen at the border gate between Iraq and Iran after it partially reopened at the Shalamcheh Border Crossing, Iraq July 7, 2020. (Reuters)

The Iraqi Border Crossing Authority announced that Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has ordered the formation of a committee to inspect containers at border crossings for any dangerous material or chemicals to avoid an explosion similar to the one that devastated Beirut port on Tuesday.

Kadhimi ordered the formation of the committee to inspect these containers to avert a catastrophe similar to the one that took place in the Lebanese capital, said the authority.

The committee will be asked to complete its task withing 72 hours so that the necessary measures can be taken, it added.

The Beirut blast was blamed on the authorities who allowed huge quantities of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, used in making fertilizers and bombs, to be stored there for years in unsafe conditions. The explosion killed 145 people, injured some 5,000 and left around 250,000 without habitable homes.

The Beirut blast has shed light on the arms warehouses of the Iraqi security forces, Popular Mobilization Forces and other armed factions that are located inside cities or near them.

Citizens have expressed fears that a similar blast may take place in Baghdad or any other part of their country.

Activists on social media quickly launched campaigns calling on authorities to mobilize to ensure that they take action before catastrophe strikes.

These campaigns are part of ongoing efforts by authorities to limit the possession of weapons in Iraq to the state. The proposal was initially made by former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, but anti-government protests last year that led to his resignation thwarted the implementation of his suggestion.

The parliamentary human rights committee called for deriving lessons from the Beirut blast. A member of the committee, Yusra Rajab said Thursday that the Iraqi constitution stipulates that citizens must live a dignified life away from threats to their security.

She called on the government to assume its duties in protecting the people and steering them clear of any dangers.

The government must remove weapons depots from residential areas, she said, adding that concerns of the Beirut scenario happening in Iraq are valid.

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Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills

A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills

A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)

Syria's new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

Captagon is a banned amphetamine-like stimulant that became Syria's largest export during the country's more than 13-year civil war, effectively turning it into a narco state under Assad.

"We found a large quantity of captagon, around one million pills," said a balaclava-wearing member of the security forces, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Osama, and whose khaki uniform bore a "public security" patch.

An AFP journalist saw forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol, and around 50 bags of pink and yellow captagon pills in a security compound formerly belonging to Assad's forces in the capital's Kafr Sousa district.

Captagon has flooded the black market across the region in recent years.

"The security forces of the new government discovered a drug warehouse as they were inspecting the security quarter," said another member of the security forces, who identified himself as Hamza.

Authorities destroyed the stocks of alcohol, cannabis, captagon and hashish in order to "protect Syrian society" and "cut off smuggling routes used by Assad family businesses", he added.

- Manufacturing sites -

Since an opposition alliance toppled Assad on December 8 after a lightning offensive, Syria's new authorities have said massive quantities of captagon have been found in former government sites around the country, including security branches.

AFP journalists in Syria have seen fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group set fire to what they said were stashes of captagon found at facilities once operated by Assad's forces.

Security force member Hamza confirmed Wednesday that "this is not the first initiative of its kind -- the security services, in a number of locations, have found other warehouses... and drug manufacturing sites and destroyed them in the appropriate manner".

Maher al-Assad, a military commander and the brother of Bashar al-Assad, is widely accused of being the power behind the lucrative captagon trade.

Experts believe Syria's former leader used the threat of drug-fueled unrest to put pressure on Arab governments.

Jordan in recent years has cracked down on the smuggling of weapons and drugs including captagon along its 375-kilometer (230-mile) border with Syria.