Crisis Cell in Nasiriya amid Fears of Inter-Shiite Clash in Southern Iraq

Anti-government protesters clash with supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Nasiriya, Iraq November 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Anti-government protesters clash with supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Nasiriya, Iraq November 27, 2020. (Reuters)
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Crisis Cell in Nasiriya amid Fears of Inter-Shiite Clash in Southern Iraq

Anti-government protesters clash with supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Nasiriya, Iraq November 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Anti-government protesters clash with supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Nasiriya, Iraq November 27, 2020. (Reuters)

Tensions have been high in Iraq amid concerns over the eruption of an inter-Shiite conflict in central and southern provinces of the country.

The fears were heightened in wake of violent clashes that had erupted between supporters of the Sadrist movement, of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and anti-government protesters in the city of Nasiriya last week.

A government crisis cell arrived in the city in an attempt to defuse the situation. The cell was formed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to contain the tensions after some 100 people were killed and injured in last week’s clashes.

The cell is comprised of senior officials from the security agencies, including national security advisor Qassem al-Araji and head of national security Abdul Ghani al-Asadi.

Ahead of arriving in the city, Araji had tweeted that he will restore security and safety in the Dhi Qar province, where Nasiriya is located, and avert strife.

According to a statement from Kadhimi’s office, the cell will be tasked with “managing the affairs of the province and upholding security.” It has been granted vast privileges to carry out its mission.

Observers, however, were skeptical that the cell would succeed in containing the tensions in Dhi Qar, citing pervious government missions that had failed.

They noted the government’s failure to determine the fate of activist Sajjad al-Iraqi, who was kidnapped in September and whose whereabouts are still unknown in spite of Baghdad’s efforts.

Such failures have only fueled speculation that inter-Shiite clashes are imminent. Tensions and a state of “enmity” already prevail among popular powers that resent the state and factions that have compounded poverty in the province.

Tensions are also high with armed factions that want to “reclaim their previous glory” after anti-government protesters burned down most of their headquarters in southern provinces during the 2019 popular uprising.

Moreover, the protesters accused the Sadrist movement of seeking, through its force of arms, to disperse the remaining protest squares after it had succeeded in doing so in Baghdad’s Tahrir square.

The protesters have escalated their campaign against the movement and its leader, describing them as an integral part of the corrupt ruling authority that they blame for the dire state of affairs in Iraq.

Tensions have not been limited to Dhi Qar, but have spread to include other provinces, including Baghdad, where student marches were held on Sunday.

The students voiced their support for the protests in Nasiriya, condemning last week’s attack against them by the Sadrists. Similar marches were held in the Babel, al-Diwaniyah, Maysan and Waset provinces.

The Victory alliance, headed by former Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, expressed its concern over the developments in the South.

In a statement, it rejected “all political and social clashes”, warning that bloodshed will undermine security, stability and national unity.

It voiced its support of the right to hold peaceful rallies and the right of all political forces to express their positions on them without resorting to force.

It called on all sides to look forward to holding “transparent elections that would build a new ruling national authority that can take the country out of its crises.”



At Least 27 Palestinians Killed Near Gaza Aid Site, Medics Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE
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At Least 27 Palestinians Killed Near Gaza Aid Site, Medics Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. 

The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution center in Rafah. 

It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas that has laid waste to much of the enclave. 

Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. 

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. 

More than 35 patients required immediate intervention, the spokesperson added. 

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. 

The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. 

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".  

However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies.  

On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. 

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution "fabrications" by Hamas.  

On Tuesday, it said its forces had identified "a number of suspects" moving towards them while deviating from the access routes.  

"The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces," it said. 

MASS EVACUATIONS ORDERED 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday he was "appalled" by reports of Palestinians killed and wounded while seeking aid and called for an independent investigation. 

The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of several districts in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip late on Monday, warning that the army would act forcefully against fighters operating in those areas. 

The military told residents to head west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, and that most of its 2.3 million population has become internally displaced. 

The territory's health ministry said on Tuesday that the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south, endangering the lives of those being treated there. 

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. 

In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say.