Kut, Iraq, Feb 5 (AFP\/APP): An Iraqi judge specialized in drug cases was shot dead Saturday in southern Iraq, an area increasingly known as a trafficking hub, police and forensic sources said.<\/p>\n
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Judge Ahmed Faisal was headed home in his car in the city of Amara, the capital of Maysan province, when unknown assailants blocked his route and opened fire, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
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A forensic source said the judge died of gunshot wounds to the head and chest.<\/p>\n
Both sources said the victim had been shot 15 times with a Kalashnikov.<\/p>\n
The killing was not immediately claimed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In September, another anti-drug judge escaped an assassination attempt in the same province.<\/p>\n
Security in the area has deteriorated, fuelled by tribal conflicts and a settling of political scores.<\/p>\n
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Parts of southern and central Iraq bordering Iran have become important drug trafficking routes in recent years.<\/p>\n
Security forces have intensified efforts to crack down on the trade, often announcing drug seizures and the arrest of traffickers.<\/p>\n
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The interior ministry’s anti-drug unit in December named Maysan and neighbouring Basra as the “leading southern provinces in terms of trafficking and consumption”.<\/p>\n
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Drug consumption was rare in Iraq during the reign of Dictator Saddam Hussein, with both users and dealers facing the death penalty if found guilty.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But after his 2003 ouster it boomed across Iraq, which had long been a transit route for drugs making their way into Europe from Afghanistan and Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kut, Iraq, Feb 5 (AFP\/APP): An Iraqi judge specialized in drug cases was shot dead Saturday in southern Iraq, an area increasingly known as a trafficking hub, police and forensic sources said. Judge Ahmed Faisal was headed home in his car in the city […]<\/p>\n
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