Iraq, Jordan Agree To Cooperate on Drug Control
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani and Jordanian Interior Minister Mazin Abdellah Hilal Al Farrayeh agreed to increase their countries’ cooperation around security, especially drug control, at a meeting in Baghdad on Sunday.
The two discussed a plan for the countries to jointly combat terrorism and drug trafficking while facilitating the passage of citizens across the border according to a press release from Sudani’s office.
Sudani noted that drugs “pose a significant threat to our youth and undermine the social fabric of our societies” and called on the two countries to work together to combat drug trafficking. Al Farrayeh confirmed Jordan’s willingness to cooperate with Iraq on the issue.
Earlier this month, Iraq hosted the first Baghdad International Conference on Drug Control. At the conference’s opening event, Sudani pledged to “spare no effort in combating drugs, whether through legislation, field operations, or preparing trained and professional personnel.”
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, drug use in the country has been increasing. Today, drug sales are concentrated in poor areas of Baghdad and southern Iraq. According to a 2021 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, amphetamines are the most dangerous and prevalent drug in Iraq.
