Accusations are flying about oil smuggling in Iraq's Ninevah province, and many accusers say government officials, armed factions and other powerful parties are involved.

Representatives of the province, including parliament member Ahmed al-Jubouri, have said recently that oil is being smuggled from the Ninevah wells. That news coincided with Osama al-Nujaifi, head of the Iraqi Decision Coalition, telling the media Feb. 1, “Security forces sent out military vehicles to halt the smuggling operations, but armed parties controlling the wells stood in the way.”

Jubouri said in a Jan. 26 statement that the Islamic State (IS), which controlled Mosul from mid-2014 until mid-2017, used to smuggle oil from more than 72 oil fields in Qayyarah in south Mosul, but now "armed groups continue smuggling an average of 100 tankers of crude oil per day.”

He told Al-Monitor by phone that there are smuggling operations, but refused to go into detail or name the parties he suspects. He added, “Parliament tasked me with presiding over the fact-checking committee regarding smuggling operations in Mosul. Parliament ordered committee members to suspend media statements until the report is drafted.”