Two family members of General Director of the Civil Defense Maj. Gen. Kazem Salman Buhan were killed Wednesday in tribal clashes in Fudhaliyah, southeast of Baghdad.
Eyewitnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Buhan’s son Qais Kazem and his nephew Omar Ali Salman were killed as part of clashes that have been taking place in the past two years between the tribe of Okeil (to which Maj. Gen belongs) and the tribe of Itab.
Although security forces have blocked all roads leading to Fudhaliyah and taken strict measures, residents said that fierce clashes between the two tribes could erupt any moment.
The region has witnessed tit-for-tat torching of houses, a sign that the procedures taken by Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council last year, to consider as terrorism any armed attack on the home of another tribe, have not stopped the two sides from clashing.
Fighting among tribes are one of the most complex challenges faced by consecutive Iraqi governments in Baghdad or southern provinces.
Observers believe that a weakened state and lax laws have contributed to “unacceptable” behavior by tribes, undermining the society and its cohesion.
A source in Fudhaliyah, who asked for anonymity, said that the armed clash between the two tribes, which has so far left six people dead, has been sparked by a personal dispute that took place two years ago.
He noted that Itab tribe accuses Buhan of using his power at the Ministry of Interior to tighten the grip on it, while Okeil tribe accuses it of igniting the clashes, which its said have left four of its members dead.
