Iraq: Mixed Reactions by Nasiriyah Tribes over Activist's Kidnapping, ICTS Deployment

Iraqi Special Forces soldiers walk on a street in Mosul | REUTERS
Iraqi Special Forces soldiers walk on a street in Mosul | REUTERS
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Iraq: Mixed Reactions by Nasiriyah Tribes over Activist's Kidnapping, ICTS Deployment

Iraqi Special Forces soldiers walk on a street in Mosul | REUTERS
Iraqi Special Forces soldiers walk on a street in Mosul | REUTERS

Mystery still shrouds the case of Sajjad al-Iraqi, an activist who was kidnapped last Saturday by a group of gunmen in the southern Dhi Qar province, Iraq. His predicament has transformed into a security and social crisis that shook the Levantine nation.

In Nasiriyah, where al-Iraqi was kidnapped, tribal chiefs were conflicted over Baghdad dispatching anti-terrorism forces to look for the abducted activist and to arrest the perpetrators. Some welcomed the initiative, while others rejected it.

Despite security taskforces having identifying the abductors, locating their residences and issuing arrest warrants for two of them, no tangible progress was made on the case.

Security and anti-terrorism forces led raids and inspections in Nasiriyah, but with no avail. This has majorly embarrassed the Iraqi government which assigned its top security body, the Iraqi counter-terrorism service (ICTS), to the task.

Over the last two days, outspoken criticism was leveled against the government’s decision to deploy ICTS units to search for al-Iraqi. Many warned that the body’s combative reputation may get hurt if it fails in locating al-Iraqi.

On Tuesday, Nasiriyah-based Al-Asakira tribe demanded the government and ICTS present a formal apology for raiding the house of their chief, Kathem al-Shabram.

Al-Asakira also called for freezing raids and helicopter operations conducted over their tribal territory in search of al-Iraqi and kidnappers.

Even though Al-Asakira’s demands were met with vocal sarcasm, many anti-government armed factions and groups warned against the possibility of internal conflict breaking out and escalating into a full-fledged civil war.

Political sources in Baghdad, however, confirmed that the ICTS had returned its operations to Nasiriyah center and has withdrawn from tribal territory at the outer skirts of the city.

ICTS Chief Abdul Wahab al-Saadi, on Wednesday, confirmed that the security taskforce is working on locating al-Iraqi.

“The primary goal being worked on by the ICTS is the search for Sajjad al-Iraqi,” Saadi told Nasiriyah Radio.

“ICTS units and local police departments are all working to implement the law,” he added, confirming that it is unacceptable to undermine their work.



UN Human Rights Office Concerned About Israeli Strikes on Civilians in Lebanon 

Smoke rises above south Lebanon following an Israeli strike amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, May 5, 2024. (Reuters) 
Smoke rises above south Lebanon following an Israeli strike amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, May 5, 2024. (Reuters) 
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UN Human Rights Office Concerned About Israeli Strikes on Civilians in Lebanon 

Smoke rises above south Lebanon following an Israeli strike amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, May 5, 2024. (Reuters) 
Smoke rises above south Lebanon following an Israeli strike amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, May 5, 2024. (Reuters) 

The United Nations human rights office is concerned about the protection of civilians in Lebanon as Israeli military operations have continued to kill civilians since the ceasefire.

"Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians," the spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Thameen Al-Kheetan, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

At least 71 civilians - including 14 women and nine children - have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon, since the ceasefire came into effect on 27 November last year, and 92,000 are still displaced, according to OHCHR.

"We are calling for investigations into all allegations of violations...Each and every military action where civilians are killed must be investigated," Al-Kheetan said.

"The ceasefire must hold and any escalation is a risk for stability in general in Lebanon, Israel and the whole region," he added.