Kirkuk records first suicide linked to banned “Al-Qurban” group

Shafaq News – Kirkuk

A young man from southern Kirkuk took his own life after joining the outlawed “Al-Qurban” (Sacrifice) group, marking the province’s first suicide tied to the extremist sect, a source said on Wednesday.

The source told Shafaq News that the man had joined the group through social media and was active in online chat groups affiliated with it. The movement has no physical presence in Kirkuk but operates mainly from Dhi Qar province.

No further details were provided, and security forces have opened an investigation into the case.

Also known as “Ali - Allahiya,” al-Qurban is a banned sect that preaches the deification of the first Shia Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb, and encourages self-sacrifice as an act of devotion.

Iraqi authorities have arrested dozens of its followers in Wasit, Basra, al-Muthanna, Dhi Qar, and al-Diwaniyah for organizing suicide-related rituals. The group is outlawed under Iraqi law, which criminalizes membership in extremist movements that incite violence or self-harm.