Iraq nears radioactive contamination-free status, says official

Iraq has brought all identified radioactive contamination sites under control and is working to remove the remaining hazardous materials, the acting chairwoman of the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, Thanaa Al-Zajrawi, told Shafaq News on Thursday 15 October.

In an article posted the same day, Al-Zajrawi attributed setbacks in the Commission’s operations to a prolonged leadership vacancy that lasted from 2003 until her appointment on 3 October. She added that federal funding shortages have also limited access to essential supplies for patient testing and scientific research, as well as vehicles for transporting employees.

Shafaq News reported that Iraq has faced radioactive contamination for decades following successive conflicts that damaged nuclear facilities and left hazardous materials across the country.

This includes cases of Israeli fighter jets striking the Tammuz nuclear reactor at Al-Tuwaitha, south of Baghdad, on 7 June, 1981, largely destroying the facility, while further airstrikes during the 1991 Gulf War targeted the complex.

Following years of cleanup operations, the Commission has declared five provinces free of radioactive contamination: Basra, Maysan, and Dhi Qar in southern Iraq, along with Saladin and Al-Anbar.