The incident took place in Al Rashayed village in the central province of Babylon after a detachment from security forces arrived at a home in Jableh at 3 pm to arrest a wanted man.
There were 20 dead including the suspect, as well as 12 children aged from two to 12 years who included the offspring of his two brothers, according to local sources.
Three members of the security forces were injured in the confrontation.
The Minister of Interior, Othman Al-Ghanimi, said that a prompt investigation would be launched into the incident. (ILKHA)