Iraqi forces arrest senior Al-Qurban sect figure in Dhi Qar

Shafaq News– Dhi Qar

Iraqi intelligence forces detained a senior member of the banned Al-Qurban group in the Souq al-Shuyukh district south of Nasiriyah, the capital of southeastern Iraq’s Dhi Qar province, a security source confirmed.

The source told Shafaq News on Thursday that the suspect, in his twenties, was arrested under Article 372 of Iraq’s Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, as amended. The detainee, the source added, used social media platforms, including Facebook, to promote the group’s ideology and activities.

Also known as “Ali-Allahiya,” Al-Qurban is a banned sect that preaches the deification of the first Shia Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb, and encourages self-sacrifice as an act of devotion.

Iraqi authorities have arrested dozens of its followers in Wasit, Basra, Muthanna, Dhi Qar, and Al-Diwaniyah for organizing suicide-related rituals. The group is outlawed under Iraqi law, which criminalizes membership in extremist movements that incite violence or self-harm.