BAGHDAD, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A senior intelligence officer was killed in armed clan clashes in southern Iraq, causing local authorities to impose a curfew, the Iraqi government said on Monday.
The clashes broke out Sunday night between armed tribesmen from two clans in the town of al-Islah in Dhi Qar province, leading to the death of Aziz Shallal Jahal, director of the intelligence department of the provincial counter-terrorism service, said an Interior Ministry statement.
The statement called the incident "a serious violation of the rule of law."
It added that local authorities imposed a curfew in the town while reinforcements arrived and immediately arrested at least 75 suspects from both sides, confiscating large quantities of weapons.
Meanwhile, an Interior Ministry officer, speaking on condition of anonymity to Xinhua, said that Jahal was killed while trying to end the clashes.
According to initial reports, at least six security members and four civilians were wounded in the clashes that also burned and destroyed many buildings and civilian cars, the officer added.
Armed conflicts are common in Iraq between the clans to which millions of Iraqis belong, especially in the southern part of the country, and often lead to casualties among civilians and security forces. ■
