An Iraqi man “under the influence of drugs” has killed his mother, brother and two sisters in an area of central Iraq that has become a major trafficking route in recent years, a police source told us on Tuesday.
Ali Habib, born in 1999, was “under the influence” of an unspecified drug when he “shot dead four members of his family: his mother, his brother and his two sisters” on Monday night, a local police official said. he wanted to remain anonymous. He was then arrested.
No reason was advanced to explain his action.
The quadruple murder took place in Kut, the capital of Wasit. This province bordering Iran has become a major route for drug trafficking, particularly crystal meth (a highly addictive synthetic drug), as have neighboring provinces.
The security forces have intensified their operations in this area and report seizures of narcotics or arrests of traffickers on an almost daily basis.
According to police officers stationed in Iraq and Western diplomats, the drugs came from Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
But Iraq isn’t just a transit country: drug sales and use have exploded there in recent years.
In December 2021, the Interior Ministry’s anti-drugs unit identified the provinces of Basra and Missane as the main southern regions in terms of trade and consumption.