A security source reported on Friday that Iraqi forces successfully dismantled a cell promoting the dissolved and banned Baath Party in the Saladin governorate, the birthplace of former Iraqi regime leader Saddam Hussein.

According to the source, intelligence was received regarding two individuals promoting Baath Party ideologies in Baiji district, located 40 km north of Tikrit. Security forces arrested one of the suspects, who confessed to being part of a larger group promoting the party’s ideas in the region. Authorities seized leaflets from the detainee, and under interrogation, he provided information about others involved in the operation in Saladin.

The detainee has been transferred to a detention center and will soon face the judiciary. The source noted that this marks the latest in a series of arrests; earlier this year, on April 26, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) detained four people in al-Dour district, also accused of promoting the banned Baath Party.

The Baath Party was officially banned in Iraq by parliament in July 2016, alongside other dissolved and racist entities and terrorist organizations. The party, which ruled Iraq for nearly four decades, was overthrown in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion. Under Saddam Hussein's leadership, the Baath regime committed numerous crimes classified as genocide by the Specialized Criminal Court in Iraq. Saddam and several high-ranking officials were sentenced to death by hanging.