BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2020) Iraqi security forces are authorized to shoot on sight any criminal at the southern Mandali checkpoint bordering Iran, Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi said on Saturday, after reopening the border crossing for limited trade.
In March, Iraq closed border crossings with Iran to curb the spread of COVID-19. Earlier on Saturday, the country's border service announced that the prime minister ordered reopening the Mandali checkpoint between Iraq's Kurdistan and Iran.
"Customs control will be under guard of security forces, and they have the authority to shoot criminals on sight," Kadhimi told reporters during a visit to the Mandali border crossing.
The prime minister noted that the authorities are aware of corrupt customs officials working at the border, and instructed the head of the service to identify them.
