New police graduates stand in formation during their graduation ceremony in Kirkuk on March 28, 2025. Photo: screengrab\Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish officials in Kirkuk expressed concern on Friday about ethnic imbalances in recent police recruitment and urged Baghdad to ensure fair representation of the city's diverse communities in future hiring.
At a graduation ceremony for 149 police recruits, only seven officers were Kurdish, while the majority were Arab, with minimal Turkmen representation. This was the third such graduation in Kirkuk recently.
"The governor will personally intervene and raise this issue with Baghdad," said Nashat Shahwez, chair of the Kirkuk Provincial Council's security committee. He said that future recruitment "must consider Kirkuk's diversity" and "maintain balance between its various ethnic and religious groups."
Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha attended the ceremony but did not publicly address the recruitment concerns.
Hassan Majid, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) faction in the provincial council, told Rudaw the total number of Kurdish graduates across all three recruitment rounds "does not exceed 25."
The KDP issued a strongly worded statement condemning the recruitment pattern as "a premeditated discriminatory policy" that it says reduces Kurdish participation in state institutions and exacerbates economic hardship in Kurdish communities.
The party described the hiring process as "a clear violation of justice and equal citizenship," and claimed it continues historical practices that have decreased Kurdish representation in Kirkuk's governance to under 15%. "We will pursue all legal and constitutional means to address this injustice," the statement added.
Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city of Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian communities. It was jointly administered until Kurdish forces took full control in 2014 when Iraqi forces withdrew during the Islamic State (ISIS) offensive. Iraqi government forces regained control in October 2017 following the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum. The current governor, a Kurd, has been in the post since August.
At a graduation ceremony for 149 police recruits, only seven officers were Kurdish, while the majority were Arab, with minimal Turkmen representation. This was the third such graduation in Kirkuk recently.
"The governor will personally intervene and raise this issue with Baghdad," said Nashat Shahwez, chair of the Kirkuk Provincial Council's security committee. He said that future recruitment "must consider Kirkuk's diversity" and "maintain balance between its various ethnic and religious groups."
Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha attended the ceremony but did not publicly address the recruitment concerns.
Hassan Majid, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) faction in the provincial council, told Rudaw the total number of Kurdish graduates across all three recruitment rounds "does not exceed 25."
The KDP issued a strongly worded statement condemning the recruitment pattern as "a premeditated discriminatory policy" that it says reduces Kurdish participation in state institutions and exacerbates economic hardship in Kurdish communities.
The party described the hiring process as "a clear violation of justice and equal citizenship," and claimed it continues historical practices that have decreased Kurdish representation in Kirkuk's governance to under 15%. "We will pursue all legal and constitutional means to address this injustice," the statement added.
Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city of Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian communities. It was jointly administered until Kurdish forces took full control in 2014 when Iraqi forces withdrew during the Islamic State (ISIS) offensive. Iraqi government forces regained control in October 2017 following the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum. The current governor, a Kurd, has been in the post since August.
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