ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi security forces arrested two members of the extremist “Qurban” sect, infamous for tasking its members with sacrificial suicide, in the southern Dhi Qar province, a security source told The New Region on Saturday. 

The Qurban, or al-Alahhiya group, is an extremist Shiite sect, outlawed by the Iraqi government. It has been implicated in several crimes in the past, including self-sacrificial suicide lotteries.

“One of the accused is a resident of the Suq al-Shuyukh district, is 31 years old, and was active in promoting the group's ideas through social media,” the security source said, adding that they located him by tracking him online.

Another suspected member of the group was arrested several days ago in the same province, the source added. He did not provide additional details on his involvement.

The group practices a random draw among the members, with the chosen individual being ordered to commit ritual suicide.

The fringe group reportedly believes in human sacrifice as a form of expressing devotion to Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs that came after the Prophet Mohammed and a central figure in Shiite theology. The belief, however, contradicts both Shiite and Sunni orthodoxy.

In September, Iraq arrested six others in Dhi Qar, including five from the same family, suspected of belonging to the fringe group. 

The group's presence has been rapidly growing across Iraqi provinces in recent years. Iraqi security forces arrested over 130 members of the group in 2024. It is believed to have thousands of members throughout the country.