The Iraqi government will work with tribal dignitaries to settle disputes and stabilise local communities freed from the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), a tribal source said Friday (November 17th).

"The government has selected 41 dignitaries from different tribes around the country," said Sheikh Abdullah al-Jughaifi, a tribal leader in Haditha city and the head of Ahrar al-Furat.

Those dignitaries, called "Arifa" according to tribal customs, include three from Anbar province, he told Diyaruna.

"The Arifas are well-known figures among their tribes and communities for their national and positive stances, and have gained the support of the interior and justice ministries," he said.

They will support notaries, judges and security services in resolving tribal disputes and strengthening stability in the cities liberated from ISIS, al-Jughaifi said.

Healing rifts

The tribal dignitaries also will work to heal rifts and rivalries between tribesmen caused by ISIS elements during their control of large swathes of the country, he said.

Al-Jughaifi stressed the need for resolving all outstanding problems, which, if left unresolved, "could have a negative impact on the victories achieved against the terrorists and delay efforts to restore stability".

During its invasion of Iraq in the summer of 2014, ISIS sought to gain the tribes’ loyalty in the areas it seized. A number of those tribes' members enlisted to fight alongside the group's foreign fighters.

These local fighters, whom ISIS named al-Ansar (supporters), took part in acts of violence that included murder, forced displacement and assault on property inside and outside their local communities.

"Today, we have broken free of this brutal group after costly sacrifices," al-Jughaifi said. "Now we want to clean up all of the terrorists’ remnants and not allow them to take advantage of any discord."

"Just like we joined forces to defeat them, we will all work together to erase their effects and devote ourselves to rebuilding," he said.