SAEDNEWS: Intense firefights have ripped through Erbil’s Khabat district since last night, as the powerful Herki tribe and KDP‑aligned Peshmerga forces clash over contested property rights—threatening wider upheaval across Iraqi Kurdistan.
According to the Political Service of Saed News, quoting Fars News Agency, since last night (17 Tir), the Khabat region in Erbil Province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has witnessed heavy armed clashes between Peshmerga forces affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Masoud Barzani and armed members of the Herki tribe under the leadership of Khorshid Herki.
These clashes, which are still ongoing, began over property disputes and the Peshmerga security forces’ attempt to arrest Khorshid Herki, one of the tribe’s prominent leaders.
Reports indicate that the fighting started in the early hours of last night in the Khabat area on the western outskirts of Erbil. Local news sources have reported that Kurdistan Region security forces, attempting to detain Khorshid Herki on charges related to land disputes with the Barzani family, triggered the armed confrontation.
The Herki tribe, one of the region’s most powerful clans, mobilized its forces in response to this action and engaged the KDP-affiliated Peshmerga.
Early today, Iraqi Kurdistan security sources reported an intensification of the clashes, with several casualties on both sides, although precise figures have not yet been released. The Herki tribesmen have also threatened to target KDP headquarters and offices throughout the region if tensions persist.
Sheikh Khorshid Herki, in a threat to the Peshmerga forces, stated that if they do not withdraw promptly, he will blow up the Kirkuk and Nainawa oil refineries.
He declared, “I will not surrender until death, and Masoud Barzani intends to destroy the Herki tribe.”
Some reports also indicate that Herki tribal forces have taken control of the main road from Khabat to Erbil.
Meanwhile, the Saberin News Telegram channel reported that the clashes have spread to Duhok Province in northern Iraq, with sporadic fighting on the Rofia–Aqra road in Duhok.
Baghdad Today website also reported that tribes allied with the Herki are dispatching reinforcements to Khabat to confront the Peshmerga, blocking several main roads in Erbil Province to prevent additional Peshmerga troops from arriving.
In the wake of these clashes and the ensuing insecurity in Erbil, dozens of families have fled the city for Nineveh.
Iraqi sources report that the clashes stem from longstanding disputes between the Herki tribe and the Barzani family over land issues and political influence in the region.
Khorshid Herki, formerly a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, has now become one of Masoud Barzani’s fiercest opponents and is calling for an uprising against the Kurdistan Regional Government. Some sources, including posts on X, have described the conflict as an armed rebellion against Barzani’s rule.
On the other hand, official authorities in the Kurdistan Region and the central Iraqi government have not issued formal responses to these clashes, but reports indicate that additional Peshmerga reinforcements have been sent to Khabat to restore order.
These clashes occur amid a series of recent political and military tensions in the Kurdistan Region, including drone attacks on military bases and disputes with Baghdad.
