Challenges that have not ended… What comes after Iraq’s removal from the “grey list”?

Challenges that have not ended… What comes after Iraq’s removal from the “grey list”?

2026-01-31 01:30

Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq has witnessed a tangible improvement in its international security ranking after the Ministry of Interior recently announced that the country has been removed from the list of high-risk countries and moved up to the list of countries with stable security, which observers considered an important political and security achievement at the domestic and international levels.

This achievement, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, comes after years of security and financial challenges faced by the country, amid ongoing practical measures to strengthen financial oversight and combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

According to experts, this step represents an international confidence indicator in a more stable Iraq, but it is linked to the continuation of internal reforms and the strengthening of mechanisms to control corruption and the movement of funds within the country.

In this context, security expert Ali Al-Maamari pointed out that the tasks of the Ministry of Interior have become more precise and complex, and that the application of international standards to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism requires high professionalism and full coordination between all security and administrative agencies.

The architect explained to Shafaq News Agency that “Iraq is still far from implementing everything we wish for because of the administrative and security corruption that is abnormally covering state institutions, and quotas and favoritism still have a major negative role in this regard.”

But in the end, one must work with what is possible and forget about the impossible, and “the Ministry of Interior must work professionally, technologically and in the field to obtain the desired results,” according to the architect.

For his part, political analyst Ali Al-Habib believes that Iraq’s exit from the high-risk international classification represents a political achievement for the government and the Ministry of Interior.

Al-Habib told Shafaq News Agency that “this achievement reflects Iraq’s commitment to international standards, enhances security stability, strengthens relations with the West, reduces external pressures, and enhances the government’s legitimacy internally as evidence of its competence in facing financial and security challenges, and supports national sovereignty by reducing external interference related to sanctions.”

Al-Habib explained that sustaining this achievement requires comprehensive reforms to combat corruption and enhance coordination between security and banking authorities, along with a continued political will to avoid a return to special lists in light of internal challenges such as foreign influence and corruption.

In the same context, political analyst Dawood Al-Halfi stressed that Iraq’s exit from the “grey list” represents “a great achievement that is credited to the political system, society and the citizen alike.”

But Al-Halfi, speaking to Shafaq News Agency, pointed out that the keys to security are linked to the internal political conflict, saying: “When political visions differ, politicians may resort to the street to gain additional advantages, which hinders stability.”

He added: “What is important now is to achieve control over the movement of cash and funds, and to ensure that they are used for the benefit of the country and not for narrow political purposes. The state is still unable to control the movement of cash and money laundering that starts at the borders and moves inside the country.”

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior revealed a series of practical measures to enhance financial oversight and combat money laundering and terrorist financing, as part of completing the steps that ensured Iraq’s exit from the “grey list” of international standards.

Ministry spokesman Colonel Abbas Al-Bahadli told Shafaq News Agency that the General Directorate of Organized Crime is carrying out law enforcement duties within its areas of operation, stressing that the ministry has begun parallel financial investigations to uncover the financial proceeds resulting from the original crimes and to ensure that they are not invested in money laundering and terrorism financing crimes.

Al-Bahadli added that there is coordination and joint cooperation with the Anti-Money Laundering Office to investigate and uncover financial suspicions in suspicious commercial activities, and that the Ministry plays an active role in the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Council to formulate financial and economic policies in accordance with international standards, particularly the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Regarding the security results, the Ministry of Interior announced during a press conference held last Wednesday a wide range of operations that contributed to improving Iraq’s ranking, including the arrest of thousands of people accused of health crimes, smuggling, fraud, price gouging, financial crimes and drug smuggling, in addition to arresting those involved in money laundering, digital currencies, currency counterfeiting and fraud, as well as dismantling networks smuggling antiquities and illegal weapons, reflecting integrated efforts to enhance financial and economic security in Iraq.

During the same conference, Major General Ahmed Jumaa, Director of the General Directorate of Organized Crime, announced the dismantling of the “Black Dollar” network for defrauding citizens, in addition to networks smuggling digital currency mining devices and the seizure of 198 mining devices, the dismantling of networks for trafficking in antiquities in the governorates of Baghdad, Diyala, Babylon and Salah al-Din, and the confiscation of weapons and ammunition that were announced to have been monitored through social media platforms.

Regarding financial oversight and international cooperation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, affirmed at the end of last May Iraq’s commitment to cooperating with international partners in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, within the practical steps taken by the Ministry of Interior to ensure the application of international standards on the ground.

This means that Iraq’s move from List (E) to List (B) means that it is no longer classified as a country with high security fragility, and is now among the countries that are experiencing better security stability, according to assessment criteria adopted by the competent security authorities, which will positively affect international cooperation, travel, and confidence in the security situation within the country.

shafaq.com