Three Gunmen Arrested With 35 Missiles at Baghdad Checkpoint
Iraqi security forces seized a truck carrying 35 missiles in Latifiya, south of Baghdad, on Friday and arrested three gunmen affiliated with armed groups.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraqi security forces seized a truck carrying 35 missiles at a checkpoint in the Latifiya area, south of Baghdad, on Friday evening and arrested three gunmen affiliated with armed groups, according to Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad.
The incident took place at around 7 p.m. A Hino-type truck carrying the three gunmen and the 35 missiles was attempting to travel along a secondary, illicit road toward the Jurf al-Sakhar area, near the border of Babil province.
Acting on precise intelligence, security agencies tracked the truck, immediately seized it along with the missiles, and arrested all three gunmen.
Preliminary investigations showed that the three belong to the 15th Brigade of the Ruhollah group, an armed group. They are now under intensive investigation by the security agencies.
The incident comes as the Iraqi government has put considerable pressure on armed groups in recent weeks to lay down their weapons.
Groups such as Hezbollah and Nujaba had earlier announced that they reject disarmament in any form, though they suspended their activities for a period.
State arms control figures
In a separate statement on Friday, the Public Relations Directorate in the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces said the Permanent National Committee for Regulating and Controlling State-Held Arms at the Interior Ministry is continuing its field efforts to regulate the carrying of weapons within the law and to strengthen security and stability.
The directorate said the security measures taken in October 2026 resulted in the official registration of weapons belonging to 38,549 citizens and the seizure of 4,046 light weapons of various types.
Security forces also seized more than 15,000 rounds of ammunition and explosive materials, 1,198 missiles and bombs, and 373 powerful explosive items.
The measures also covered the registration of weapons belonging to 2,374 visitors to state offices, most of them pistols, and the withdrawal of 237 weapons from civilian ministries, most of them rifles. Three drones were also seized, according to the statement.