BAGHDAD (Dispatches) -- Iraq announced on Friday that it had returned restricted airspace in the western part of the country to civil authorities, ending restrictions that had been in place for military operations since 2016, the Transport Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said all previously reserved zones, stretching from north to south across western Iraq, had been handed over to the authority responsible for airports and air navigation for use by civil aviation.
The restricted zones had been designated for military operations against Daesh in 2016 and 2017, when large areas of Iraq’s western desert were used as bases for such operations.
“The airspace management team at the air operations center has officially confirmed that the military air zones listed in the Iraqi aeronautical guide are no longer used for military operations,” Ehab Saad Karim, director of the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation Management, said at a press conference.
Karim said the decision was the result of years of technical and institutional work aimed at improving the efficiency and flow of air traffic. He added that reopening the routes would increase revenues, improve civil air traffic flow and contribute to the national economy.
Transport Ministry spokesperson Hussein Ahmed told Reuters that the technical and regulatory procedures would be completed by October 1.
The ministry said the lifting of restrictions related to military zones is part of withdrawal procedures, at a time when Iraq and the United States are implementing agreements for the departure of remaining troops from the U.S.-led occupation.
The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces expressed support for the move, describing it as an important step toward restoring Iraq’s regional and international standing in air navigation and confirming the country’s recovery and security stability.
In a separate security development, Iraq’s Military Intelligence Directorate announced the arrest of 15 drug traffickers and dealers during operations involving surprise checkpoints across Baghdad. 
The directorate said the operation was based on precise intelligence and involved joint units setting up ambushes in various areas of the capital.