Tribal clashes kill 16 in south Baghdad

Baghdad, May 24 : Clashes between two rival tribes south of Baghdad have killed around 16 people, police sources said today.

Eighteen people were wounded in yesterday's fighting in a village close to the town of Suwayra, about 40 km south of the capital.

One police source said the violence was linked to land disputes between the two feuding tribes. Another source said it may have been a clash between a Shi'ite and a Sunni tribe.

A Reuters reporter saw 14 bodies that had been taken to Suwayra's hospital.

Police arrested 10 people, a police source said, adding the police and army were now in control of the situation.

While guerrilla and sectarian attacks have killed thousands of people in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003, large-scale fighting between tribes is unusual.

New Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has vowed to use ''maximum force against terrorists'', this week said his forces could take charge of security in most of the country by the end of this year.

Reuters