Kurdish tribal leader Khurshid Latif Harki, brother detained in Erbil

ERBIL, Iraq — Erbil Provincial Directorate of Police said on Sunday that Khurshid Latif Harki, a leader of the Harki tribe, and his brother Haidar Latif were detained in a security operation carried out under judicial orders. The arrests were executed on July 5, 2026, the police statement added. According to the police, the two brothers were taken into custody on allegations of recent public order offenses, including attacks on civilian and public property, the killing of a Peshmerga fighter and a civilian, and the burning of Peshmerga military equipment. The statement also accused them of inciting the public against the legal order, obstructing state projects and damaging economic infrastructure, and said multiple complaints had been filed by citizens. The police said the pair would be referred to the judiciary to face the alleged charges, adding that the safety of lives and property of citizens was being safeguarded and the rule of law upheld. No further details on the proceedings were immediately available. Last July, an armed clash broke out in the Habab district in western Erbil between the Harki and Kuran tribes over agricultural land and water channels, prompting the deployment of the Peshmerga-affiliated Zerevani forces to restore order.