Iraq PM calls on Sunni, Shia tribes in Salahadin to support state rule

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi yesterday called on Sunni and Shia tribes in Salahadin Governorate, to support the state authority and help preserve peace in society, Anadolu news agency reported.

This came in a statement issued by Al-Kadhimi’s office, on the sidelines of his visit to the province and meeting with tribal dignitaries in the city of Samarra where Shia and Sunni Muslims live.

“We call on our clans to support the state in preserving Iraq’s unity, promoting civil peace in society, overcoming differences and placing the citizen’s interest and right in a state that protects him,” the statement quoted Al-Kadhimi saying.

“Today, we face great challenges, and we are determined to confront and overcome them through cooperation and solidarity,” it added.

Al-Kadhimi’s call comes two days after sectarian tension in the governorate between the families of victims of the Camp Speicher massacre and the Sunni residents of Tikrit city.

In June 2014, Daesh militants executed 1,700 Shia Iraqi soldiers at Speicher military base in the governorate.

In December 2017, Iraqi authorities carried out the death penalty against 38 people convicted of the massacre inside Nassiriya Central Prison in Dhi Qar Governorate, southeast of the country.

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