ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Khurshid Harki, a prominent tribal figure who clashed with security forces last year, has been arrested on several charges, including murder and vandalism, Erbil police announced early Sunday.
Police said in a statement that Khurshid Harki and his brother, Haider Harki, were arrested for a number of criminal offenses, including damaging private and public properties, “martyring a Peshmerga and a civilian, burning Peshmerga military equipment, inciting people against the law and public stability, obstructing government projects, and threatening to destroy economic infrastructure in various locations within the Khabat district."
Both "will be tried for their crimes in the near future," police said.
Khurshid Harki is one of the leaders of the Harki tribe, which is believed to be the second largest Kurdish tribe after Jaff.
The charges date back to July 2025, when a land dispute between Khurshid Harki and the leader of the Goran tribe escalated into an armed confrontation, prompting significant intervention from Peshmerga and security forces.
Khurshid Harki, however, refused to surrender. He and his tribesmen dug trenches and set up burning roadblocks, confronting government forces in days-long clashes that left at least two people dead and 11 injured.
The fighting subsided following intervention by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, which led to a temporary ceasefire and the formation of an investigative committee.
Still, enforcement action was not taken at the time, apparently due to Khurshid Harki's tribal standing and his possession of light to medium weapons.
Khurshid Harki later declared the matter resolved, throwing his strong support behind the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the most recent parliamentary elections. Since then, he had been moving freely within the Kurdistan Region and abroad.
Concluding the statement, Erbil police said, "We hereby assure citizens that their lives and property are protected, the law is supreme, and no criminal will be allowed to disrupt the security and peace of the country or create chaos."
