Violent clashes erupted last night between Saraya al-Salam, affiliated with Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq in the city of Kut. Reports indicate that the fighting broke out after an assassination attempt on Abu Hassan, the commander of Saraya al-Salam in Wasit. Iraqi security forces intervened and restored calm to the city.
Hundreds of Saraya al-Salam members paraded on Thursday night in the main streets of Basra, amid conflicting reports about the purpose of this sudden mobilization, which occurred just hours before a popular protest on Saturday in Baghdad and other cities.
Videos shared by activists on social media showed hundreds of Saraya members displaying light and medium weapons, circulating in Basra in pickup trucks. The parade disrupted normal traffic until late Thursday night, before the group withdrew "automatically."
A local source from Saraya al-Salam and a local leader from the Sadrist movement stated that "the show of force was merely a security exercise." However, they mentioned information suggesting that "an armed militia intends to carry out acts of violence in Basra on the eve of a demonstration marking the anniversary of the October Movement," and that the Saraya’s display was a "warning message" to them.
According to an activist from what is known as the "Protest Coordination," "activists received death threats to prevent them from inciting the public to participate in the Saturday protest, while official security forces avoid confronting armed groups in the city." Activists and various field sources specifically name "Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq" in Basra as pursuing civil movement activists and leaders of the Sadrist movement.
A field source reported that armed members of "Asa'ib" displayed their weapons near the presidential palaces in Basra, prompting "Saraya" to respond similarly "and more." Leadership within Saraya al-Salam stated that the operations were coordinated with security forces to protect the city from what they described as "external sedition," according to a Sadrist official.
The skirmishes between "Saraya" and "Asa'ib" have not ceased since the end of August, when supporters of the Sadrist movement stormed the Green Zone, marking an undeclared war that has seen a wave of mutual assassinations. During these confrontations, local government officials emphasized that "the situation is under control." Activists from Basra, who left the city a few days ago, stated that "the atmosphere in the city is completely ready to explode (...) and we (the civilians) may become scapegoats in this dispute."
