Sheikh Abdul Saheb Sa’doun, chief of the Al-Hamaid tribe, and his wife were stabbed to death on Friday by unknown armed men in the Iraqi governorate of Dhi Qar, in the south of the country, Anadolu Agency reported.

A police officer from Dhi Qar police told Anadolu Agency that unknown armed men broke into the house of Sa’doun and stabbed him and his wife to death.

The police officer, who preferred not to be named, confirmed: “The armed men fled and the security forces closed the area and opened an investigation into the incident.”

Meanwhile, the deputy of the Iraqi Parliament, Hassan Al-Kaabi, disclosed that the assassination aimed to: “Destabilise security and stability of the governorate of Dhi Qar.”

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He called for the security services to speed up the investigations in order to recognise the perpetrators and prosecute the criminals.

Al-Kaabi pointed out that tribal leaders have played a prominent and historical role in facing terror, and reinforcing security and the rule of law.

He described this incident as “dangerous” and that it “must not pass without punishment.”

Dhi Qar was one of the main governorates involved in the anti-corruption protests in the country this year, but it has not been yet revealed whether or not the incident is connected to the protests.