BAGHDAD, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Sunday pledged to step up efforts to combat drugs and criminal networks as he opened the 3rd Baghdad International Conference on Drug Control.

A statement from his office said delegations from 12 countries were attending the two-day meeting in the capital.

Al-Sudani said drug use and trafficking posed growing threats to societies and states, and called for closer coordination to curb and eventually eliminate related risks. He said Iraq had signed several memoranda of understanding to boost cooperation and information-sharing aimed at dismantling trafficking networks.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry said in November that security forces had broken up 1,201 drug trafficking and promotion networks over the past three years, including 171 international rings, and had seized more than 14 tonnes of narcotics.

Years of chaos and conflict since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion have hampered Iraq's counter-narcotics efforts. In May 2023, al-Sudani said the drug trade remained a major source of financing for militant groups. Enditem