What is the truth about the installation of a "pharmacy sign" claiming to be in Al-Bataween area in the capital Baghdad?
A picture has been circulating on social media with the caption "A cobra statue has been built at the entrance to Al-Bataween area in Baghdad.
The Truth:
The attached claim is incorrect. Upon conducting a reverse image search, it was revealed that the picture belongs to a statue that was previously placed at the (Mohamed Boudiaf) Hospital in Algeria.
Algerian accounts had previously circulated the picture in previous years.
We had also clarified the truth of the picture in 2021, after it was claimed to belong to the Muthanna Governorate in southern Iraq. At the time, we contacted people from Algeria to inquire about the veracity of the statue, and one of them confirmed that the statue is located at a hospital in the southwestern Algerian city of Ain Sefra, where the person lives. He explained that it was changed years ago but was recirculated by Algerian pages at the time.
The circulation of this post comes after the campaign launched by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior in Al-Bataween area, during which they were able to arrest prostitution and drug networks, residency violators, human trafficking gangs, medical offices, and unauthorized warehouses.
Al-Bataween is an area located on the eastern side of the capital, Baghdad. It used to be an area inhabited by families from various social groups, but after the years and crises that the capital has gone through, the area has become a place for suspicious and outlaw groups to engage in prostitution and drug trafficking until the area became known for its social and moral decay.