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Iraq seeks to disarm southern tribes

March 2, 2017 at 12:53 pm

A man walks past the wreckage of cars a day after a car bomb attack at al-Bayaa auto gallery in capital of Baghdad, Iraq on February 17, 2017. Many casualities reported after the attack. ( Murthadha Sudani – Anadolu Agency )

The widespread ownership of heavy weapons by the tribes in southern Iraq causes conflicts that result in dozens of victims between dead and wounded, according to the authorities in Baghdad’s Green Zone who now seek to disarm them.

The Iraqi government has expressed that it is concerned about weapons ownership amongst the southern Arabian tribes, and this has prompted Baghdad to try to control those weapons and to ask the tribes to cooperate with the authorities in their attempts to disarm them.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, Najaf province’s police authorities called on citizens to hand over weapons to the security centres within no more than ten days, saying that this decision had been approved by the Iraqi National Security Council and aims to achieve security, stability and peace.

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The police explained that the arms that should be handed over include mortars of various kinds, rocket launchers, grenades, all sorts of heavy weapons that belong to official security forces, and other non-lethal military gear. They warned that citizens who violate the decision will be legally liable.

This comes at a time when tribal conflicts are spread across Iraq, especially in the south, because of the proliferation of light, medium and even heavy weapons, which has resulted in the death and injury of dozens of tribal members.

It also comes during a time of increasing terrorist activity in all of Iraq’s provinces, which means that armed tribal fighters may feel that the government disarming them may lead to increased risk. In 2014, the Iraqi police and military were incapable of preventing Daesh from capturing approximately a third of Iraqi territory, leading to many to lose faith in the ability of the state to protect citizens.

On his part, Sheikh Faleh Al-Shibli, one of Najaf’s chieftains, agreed that the spread of arms in the hands of the Iraqi tribes has resulted in major territorial disputes and consequent casualties during the fighting between the clans.