Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Iraqi security forces arrested at least three members of the Bani Khikan tribe in Dhi Qar on Saturday over an April incident against Badr Organization leader Hadi Al-Ameri, a security source told Shafaq News.

Forces carried out raids in Al-Akika and Al-Tar districts in southern Dhi Qar under arrest warrants issued by the Iraqi judiciary following lawsuits filed by the director of Al-Ameri’s office. The warrants relate to the April 10 incident in Dhi Qar, when attendees insulted Al-Ameri and hurled shoes as he approached the stage. The confrontation escalated into an exchange of gunfire between his guards and armed tribesmen, with no casualties reported at the time.

Bani Khikan leaders condemned the incident two days later and issued a formal apology, later sending a delegation of tribal sheikhs to meet Al-Ameri in Baghdad and describe the incident as an individual act that did not represent the tribe.

Brig. Kazem Wali, police chief of Karma Bani Saeed district, was released on April 16 after being detained over the incident. On April 25, the Interior Ministry removed five senior Dhi Qar police officers following an investigation into the clash and transferred them to the Border Forces Command.