Khurshid Harki, a prominent figure from the Harki tribe, has been involved in a land dispute with the Goran tribe in Erbil’s Khabat district. The dispute led to deadly clashes on Tuesday when Kurdish security forces went to the district to confront Harki, sparking deadly confrontations with tribesmen.
“Through the efforts of relevant government and party officials and internal security forces [Asayish], the issue was quickly contained, and with the cooperation of locals, the area was calmed down. Legal procedures have begun for resolving disputes and punishing violators,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
It called on the locals of Khabat to refrain from being incited “by the words of ill-wishers.”
“The peace and security of all areas of the Kurdistan Region is above everything else, and no person or party will be allowed, for any purpose, to spread unrest and tension,” the statement added.
The clashes led to the deaths of one tribesman and a member of the security forces.
On Wednesday, Harki told Rudaw that the situation was resolved after Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani intervened.
The dispute in Khabat occurred due to disagreements between the Harki and Goran tribes over ownership of an overlapping strategic piece of land.
