ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi authorities have arrested more than two dozen individuals involved in tribal clashes that shook the country’s southern Dhi Qar province over the weekend, the interior ministry announced late Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry said that a force from the Dhi Qar Police Command had “arrested 27 suspects” linked to an “old tribal dispute” that “resulted in six injuries” - including both combatants and bystanders - and “the burning of a Madhif [traditional guesthouse] and a vehicle” in the southern province.
According to the statement, security forces came under fire from both sides during the operation and “responded forcefully.” Authorities also “seized a Kalashnikov rifle and a cache of medium and light ammunition” from the scene of the clashes, which took place in a village within the Sayyed Dakhil sub-district, east of Dhi Qar’s provincial capital, Nasiriyah.
The ministry praised the cooperation of Dhi Qar’s residents, noting that public support has “contributed to a decrease in the crime rate,” which in turn has led to improved services and the launch of “a wide urban campaign” amid greater security stability.
Tribal violence remains a persistent challenge for Iraq’s federal government.
In early September, four people, including two police officers and two armed men, were killed in a “tribal dispute” in the capital Baghdad’s Rusafa district.
Such armed clashes are frequent in the southern provinces of Basra, Maysan and Dhi Qar, often requiring military intervention. The disputes typically involve light and medium weapons, and sometimes even mortar shells, frequently resulting in casualties.
The widespread availability of arms - much of it from military stockpiles left over from the regime of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein or obtained through paramilitary groups - continues to fuel the cycle of violence.
Notably, the dynamics of tribal conflict have grown more complex in recent years, with political parties allegedly shielding their tribal affiliates, further complicating government efforts to enforce the rule of law.
Between 2019 and 2021, Iraq’s southernmost province of Basra alone witnessed 280 armed disputes, which left 35 people dead and 74 others injured.