Gunmen kill wounded patient inside Basra hospital after deadly tribal clash

BASRA — Armed men stormed Abu Al-Khaseeb Hospital on Saturday evening and fatally shot a patient being treated for injuries sustained in a tribal clash earlier in the day, a local medical source told 964media.

The victim was among those wounded during a violent confrontation between members of the Al-Jandeel clan that left six people dead and five others injured. One of the dead was a bystander caught in the crossfire.

A security source said the initial clash broke out inside a religious service tent, or mawkib khidmi, in the Bab Taweel area along the road to Al-Faw in Basra Governorate. The tent had been set up to serve pilgrims. Twelve suspects were arrested and six vehicles seized following the incident.

According to the source, the fighting was rooted in a long-standing internal feud within the Al-Jandeel clan, stemming from earlier protests over the district’s chronic water salinity crisis. “The dispute escalated recently and turned into armed conflict inside a tent that was preparing to serve visitors,” the source said.