Iraq News
Elections

Ninawa police beef up security ahead of elections

By Khalid al-Taie

Ninawa police forces verify the identities of residents of western Mosul's al-Islah district in search of sleeper 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' cell members. [Photo courtesy of Ninawa police command]

Ninawa police forces verify the identities of residents of western Mosul's al-Islah district in search of sleeper 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' cell members. [Photo courtesy of Ninawa police command]

The Ninawa police have devised a plan to secure the upcoming elections, set for May 12th across Iraq, police chief Brig. Gen. Hamad Namis al-Jubury said Tuesday (May 1st).

"We have devised a well-thought out security plan in co-ordination with the operations command, the army and other security services to enable the citizens of Ninawa to exercise their electoral right in a secure environment," he told Diyaruna.

"We will take all necessary precautions and security measures, and believe that the elections will be held without any problems," he said.

The police forces are prepared to carry out their duties to the fullest, said al-Jubury, adding that they have been conducting exercises to increase their readiness.

More than 700 polling stations will open their doors to voters in Ninawa.

Police forces "will protect these stations and all civilian gatherings from any threats or breaches by terrorist gangs", al-Jubury said.

Local authorities also will allocate vehicles to transport citizens in remote areas of Ninawa to polling stations in an effort to ease any hurdles that voters might face.

As part of pre-emptive operations to eradicate sleeper terrorist cells, "not a day goes by without an attack on terrorist hotspots", he said.

Since the beginning of this year, 15 extremists have been killed, most recently on Sunday (April 29th), when a gunman tried to attack security forces in the area of al-Nimrud, he said.

About 470 individuals also were arrested on terrorism-related and criminal charges, he added.

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Everything will be alright!

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