ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A police officer was killed and three other members of the security forces were injured in a hail of gunfire during a Friday operation in Basra linked to “a previous tribal dispute,” with authorities having arrested eight individuals in connection with the incident.

Tribal and social disputes are common in Iraq, with armed clashes frequently erupting and often requiring military intervention. These confrontations often feature the use of small and medium arms, and in some cases, heavier weaponry, regularly leading to injuries and deaths.

The Iraqi interior ministry in a statement announced the death of “a member of the Basra Province Police Command” after security forces were subjected to “direct gunfire” during an operation in the Qurna district targeting suspects in a murder case stemming from “a previous tribal dispute.”

The incident resulted in the injury of three additional force members, who were transferred to a health care facility and are now in stable condition, it added.

Following the fatal firefight, security forces launched a wide-scale raid and search campaign, arresting eight suspects, including four accused of being “directly involved in the crime,” in addition to “the seizure of four rifles and a vehicle that was being used for their movements.”

The ministry added that investigation into the circumstances of the skirmish continues. 

Illegal weapons in Iraq stand out as one of the most pressing challenges to security and stability, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani repeatedly pledging to address the issue beyond the scope of official and legitimate state institutions in his government program.

Unofficial data puts the number of arms within Iraqi society at around 15 million medium and light weapons, with armed groups and tribes possessing the bulk of them.