Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Iraq urges prime minister to resolve issue in Kirkuk with local parties

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Iraq urged Prime Minister Muhammed Shia al-Sudani on Saturday to work with local parties to resolve the Kirkuk issue.

Incidents in Kirkuk, stemming from disagreements between party offices and local political factions, escalated into conflicts, leading to injuries and deaths, according to a statement released by the PUK.

The statement acknowledged communication with the Iraqi government and stressed that timely intervention by al-Sudani in coordination with the local government, security forces and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) could have prevented the party office (Kurdistan Democratic Party) issue from escalating into a major problem.

One person was killed and six injured in northern Iraq’s Kirkuk city during protests demanding the reopening of a highway linking the city to Erbil, said police.

A curfew was imposed in the city while al-Sudani ordered an operation against rioters.

- Counter-demonstrations

Counter-demonstrations were held in Kirkuk in response to ongoing protests against the decision to give the headquarters to the KDP.

After the emergence of ISIS in 2014, Peshmerga forces, aligned with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), occupied abandoned Iraqi army bases in Kirkuk, effectively controlling the city for three years.

But the presence of Peshmerga forces ended in Kirkuk on Oct. 16, 2017, following the KRG's "independence referendum" and an attempted annexation, when central government forces entered the city.

The Iraqi army had evacuated the KDP building, converting it into the Kirkuk Operations Command Headquarters, while the KDP claims prior use and demands its return.

Protests against alleged plans to vacate the building and transfer it to the KDP, reportedly under al-Sudani's orders, have been ongoing since Aug. 25.

Various groups in Kirkuk, including Sunni Arab tribes, Turkmen factions, and supporters of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Movement, led by Qays al-Khazali, are backing the demonstrations in front of the headquarters.

In Rahimava, a Kurdish-populated area, a counter-demonstration took place.

When protesters supporting the handover of the building to the KDP approached the site of the Arab and Turkmen demonstrators in front of the headquarters, security forces fired warning shots, leading to visible smoke and the dispatch of ambulances.

Protesters are also calling for the reopening of the Erbil-Kirkuk road, which has been closed by those opposing the return of the building to the party.

*Writing by Necva Tastan