In a devastating turn of events, a father in the southern Iraqi province of Basra has allegedly killed his entire family, including a two-year-old baby, before taking his own, Iraqi officials said.
The incident, which occurred late Wednesday evening, has shocked the country, leaving authorities and citizens scrambling for answers.
Colonel Muqdad Miri, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior and the Security Media Cell, told Iraq's state media that the father, whose identity has yet to be disclosed to the public, committed the horrific act at approximately 9:30 PM local time.
Armed with a rifle, the father fatally shot all 12 members of his family before turning the weapon on himself. The massacre unfolded in a neighbourhood of the Shatt al-Arab district in Basra province. Basra police have initiated an investigation, Miri added.
The spokesperson indicated that initial investigations point to financial issues as a potential motive behind the incident.
However, residents in the neighbourhood, interviewed by local Iraqi media channels, voiced scepticism regarding the official explanation. They emphasised that the father had no apparent financial troubles and maintained a devout religious routine of prayer and fasting.
Moreover, many Iraqi social media users echoed these doubts, suggesting the tragedy could be the result of a premeditated crime orchestrated by armed militias.
This incident reflects a broader trend in Iraq, with numerous instances of civilian mass killings and homicides in recent years, underscoring a worrying increase in crime rates. The prevalence of drug consumption compounds the challenge, further hampering law enforcement efforts to combat militia and drug cartel activities.
In February 2023, nine people were killed in an attack on a farmland in the northeastern Iraqi province of Diyala, according to officials.