# Iraq’s Prime Minister Puts Security Chiefs on Notice Over Oil Smuggling and Ousts Babylon Officials

*Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 8:05 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-11-14T20:05:51.709Z (49m ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: https://t.me/TheLeaflet/25167 | https://t.me/militarysummary/32869 | https://t.me/operativnoZSU/226129 | https://t.me/war_noir/25680 | https://t.me/sputnik_africa/75903
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/23486.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

---

**Deck**: Prime Minister Al‑Zaydi has told Iraqi operations commanders, police chiefs, and intelligence and security directors they’re fully responsible for oil smuggling in their areas and has already removed several officials after a smuggling scheme in Jurf al‑Sakhar, Babylon Province.

Iraq’s leadership is trying to clamp down on oil theft by tying it directly to the careers of senior security officials. Prime Minister Al‑Zaydi has instructed that operation commanders, provincial police chiefs, and directors of security and intelligence agencies will be held fully responsible for any oil smuggling that happens in their areas of responsibility.

The order, issued on 14 November, makes those officers answerable not just for fighting but for protecting one of the state’s core economic assets wherever they serve. It turns oil smuggling from a diffuse criminal issue into a test of command performance.

Baghdad moved quickly to show that this new line of accountability has teeth. Officials connected to recently exposed smuggling in Jurf al‑Sakhar, in Babylon Province, have already been dismissed, according to the same reporting. The names and exact posts of those removed have not been detailed, but the step links the prime minister’s directive to a specific case.

Jurf al‑Sakhar has long been sensitive territory with a heavy security presence. Removing figures there over oil smuggling sends a message to other provinces that tolerated diversions of crude are now a direct liability for those in charge.

For Iraqis, oil smuggling means less money reaching the central budget and more power in the hands of unaccountable networks. When the prime minister publicly tells commanders and chiefs that they are “fully responsible,” he is promising that future leaks will come with personal consequences.

Whether this marks the start of a sustained campaign or a limited purge will show up in what happens beyond Babylon. Signs to watch include further dismissals in other provinces, criminal cases against those already removed, and any new measures to track oil movements more closely under the eyes of multiple agencies rather than a single local power center.