Head of Basra operations room revealed on Monday that 324 wanted and suspects were arrested in Basra during the last three weeks. He also mentioned that hundreds of roadside bombs, in addition to a large quantity of guns and ammunitions were seized throughout different places in the province.
"Security forces arrested 324 wanted and suspects, through the raid operations that were conducted at most of Basra areas throughout the last three weeks, after the end of weapons hand over ultimatum," Lieutenant General Mohan Hafodh al-Freji told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).
"320 roadside bombs of different types and sizes, in addition to 1783 different guns, and huge quantities of ammunitions were all seized," he said.
"Most of the province's areas are currently stable, secured and under control, after cleansing the neighborhoods of al-Haianiya, al-Qibla, al-Gzaiza, al-Baladiyat, Khamsa Meel, and others," he added.
"Raid operations will continue for a safe, stable, and disarmed Basra," al-Freji asserted.
The Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MOI) said that its forces are still pursuing raid operations at different places in Basra province that include the areas of Khmasa Meel, al-Kindi, Abu il-Khaseeb, and al-Shafi, aiming at tracking down "wanted" armed men, and disarming guns.
"Throughout the operations that were conducted by Basra police until Sunday afternoon, seven wanted were arrested at different places of Basra," Major General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf, manager of MOI national command center, said in a release issued by his office on Monday and received by VOI.
"MOI explosives directorate removed a weapons cache of 60 mortar shells at Abu il-Khaseeb area, and defused a roadside bomb that consisted of a cannon shell (155 mm), with an electric igniter inside it," the release said.
"Three RPG rockets, two lighting rockets (82 mm), and four anti-armors rockets (40 mm) were all seized," it referred.
"Basra traffic directorate registered 382 traffic violations, and detained three different vehicles for violating traffic instructions and conditions," it explained.
Basra, capital city of Basra province, is 590 km south of Baghdad