A civilian shoots a committee of municipality assigned to lift trespasses on public property in a town of Diyala north of Baghdad following murder of Karbala municipality director in a similar incident on Tuesday.
Mid-day of Wednesday, a committee of municipality accompanied by police were trying to destruct a store built illegally in the neighborhood of Arkawazi in the district of Kahanqin, local official said.
The man built the store without any legal permission on a public property opens fire by Kalashnikov targeting the local committee of municipality but no casualties reported. Arrest warrant has been issued by local police.
Aws Ibrahim, head of Khanaqin municipality, said the man was notified about the violation and was asked to stop building.
"He did not care so the members of the committee with police take a shovel to destruct it on Wednesday and he shoots them."
"Fortunately, no one was harmed but we filed a lawsuit against him and the judge issued arrest warrant against him."
The head of municipality said the man is "well-known for his trespasses on public property and taking it over so he should be arrested and punished for shooting."
The committee of the municipality is made up of four members accompanied by two policemen.
He affirmed the case is complicated in Khanaqin "as it requires big troops and law to stop it" in reference to take over of public property and illegally built houses.
PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi flew to the city of Karbala on Wednesday to pay condolence to the family of Karbala municipality director shot dead Tuesday while on duty by people violated public law, PM media office said.
"Law penalizes the killer & those attack civil servants on duty," Kadhimi said.
Karbala- Aug. 11, 2021- PM Kadhimi told the "killer" of Karbala municipality director the trial will be held soon. Media of PM office
The local security forces in Karbala arrested the suspect in the case of Karbala municipality director and taken him to the site of the incident.
The PM assured people that law will be the superior.
Since the fall of the Ba’th regime led by Saddam Hussein in 2003, thousands of houses have been built on government property.
After ousting Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, thousands of houses were built illegally all over Iraq and particularly in the disputed territories as thousands of houses; stores and even bazaars have been built on public property.
The local authorities are launching campaigns to impose law and put an end to these trespass on government properties through teams of anti-violation on government real estate supported by security forces yet most of it are temporarily held off due to the complicated texture of war-ravaged region.
Iraqi government has decided to officially register the illegally built houses on Nov. 19, 2019 to its residents. The statement was dictated to the local administrations in all Iraqi provinces.
