Iraq
PMF supporters block Kirkuk-Erbil highway in protest against the reported return of KDP to their offices in the province on August 28, 2023. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Members and supporters of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have blocked the main highway between Kirkuk and Erbil for the past two days in protest against reports suggesting that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) would be returning to its offices in Kirkuk for the first time in nearly six years.
The KDP shut down its offices in Kirkuk following the events of October 2017 when Iraqi forces regained control of the province and expelled the Kurdish security forces. Three of the buildings were taken over by Iraqi forces, including the office of the KDP leadership council on the Kirkuk-Erbil road which is currently used by the Joint Operations Command (JOC).
Reports have circulated in recent days saying that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has ordered Iraqi forces to evacuate buildings in Kirkuk which were previously used by the KDP, and hand them over to the Kurdish party so it can resume carrying out its political activities in the province.
The Arab Coalition in Kirkuk released a statement on Saturday saying that headquarters of the JOC in Kirkuk symbolizes the operation of “enforcing the law,” claiming that the security situation in Kirkuk has improved since 2017 and that the evacuation of the building by the Iraqi forces would incite concerns over the province’s security once again.
The statement called on Sudani not to issue a decision on the matter and leave it for the specialized courts, claiming that the lands on which the KDP offices were built belong to the state and that they were reconstructed by the federal government before the JOC were stationed in them.
Dozens of protesters, mainly comprising of members of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) militia and their supporters, have set up tents near the JOC headquarters since Sunday evening, blocking access to the highway as they refuse the return of the KDP to the building.
AAH officials in Kirkuk have stated that they will continue the demonstrations until Sudani retracts the decision.
“Their [KDP’s] return to this building would be a blow to the enforcing the law operation,” Marwan Ali, an AAH official in Kirkuk, told Rudaw’s Hiwa Hussamadin on Monday, adding that the operation has “protected the Arab, Kurd, and Turkmen residents of the city, and today we live in stability and peace among all the components.”
The blocking of the key highway has forced all incoming and outgoing vehicles to resort to driving through the streets and alleys of nearby neighborhoods to get to their destination, including hundreds of container trucks which use the highway on a daily basis.
The protests have also hindered students residing in the nearby neighborhoods from arriving to university on time for their final exams.
Ahmad Salar, a student residing in Shoraw, told Rudaw English on Tuesday that they now need to drive about an hour and a half to get from Shoraw to the Univeristy of Kirkuk - A distance normally covered in less than 30 minutes.
KDP rivals, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the New Generation Movement (NGM), have accused the KDP of orchestrating the recent protests in a bid to “gain the sympathy” of Kurdish voters in Kirkuk ahead of the provincial council elections later this year.
Masoud Mala Parwez, a KDP official in Kirkuk, told Rudaw on Monday that the decision from Sudani has been issued over 20 days ago, adding that some Iraqi forces have already begun the evacuation process.
“We will carry out our campaign for Kirkuk’s provincial council elections inside our own offices,” stressed the KDP official.
Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. The city was under joint administration before 2014, when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Kurds held the city until October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control and expelled Kurdish security forces following the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) independence referendum.
Iraq’s provincial councils were dissolved in 2019, in response to demands by the Tishreen protesters who criticized the system for its failures and for enabling corruption. Provincial elections were last held in 2013, without Kirkuk.
The provincial council elections will not be held in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, but the polls remain of great significance to Iraq’s Kurds, as Kirkuk’s Kurdish political parties will be seeking a return to power in the historically-disputed city for the first time since 2017.
The PMF was formed when a group of militias responded to a call-to-arms from revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to stand against ISIS in 2014. While the force has been officially incorporated into the Iraqi security apparatus, militias within their ranks operate outside of Baghdad’s control and receive support from Iran.
The KDP shut down its offices in Kirkuk following the events of October 2017 when Iraqi forces regained control of the province and expelled the Kurdish security forces. Three of the buildings were taken over by Iraqi forces, including the office of the KDP leadership council on the Kirkuk-Erbil road which is currently used by the Joint Operations Command (JOC).
Reports have circulated in recent days saying that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has ordered Iraqi forces to evacuate buildings in Kirkuk which were previously used by the KDP, and hand them over to the Kurdish party so it can resume carrying out its political activities in the province.
The Arab Coalition in Kirkuk released a statement on Saturday saying that headquarters of the JOC in Kirkuk symbolizes the operation of “enforcing the law,” claiming that the security situation in Kirkuk has improved since 2017 and that the evacuation of the building by the Iraqi forces would incite concerns over the province’s security once again.
The statement called on Sudani not to issue a decision on the matter and leave it for the specialized courts, claiming that the lands on which the KDP offices were built belong to the state and that they were reconstructed by the federal government before the JOC were stationed in them.
Dozens of protesters, mainly comprising of members of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) militia and their supporters, have set up tents near the JOC headquarters since Sunday evening, blocking access to the highway as they refuse the return of the KDP to the building.
AAH officials in Kirkuk have stated that they will continue the demonstrations until Sudani retracts the decision.
“Their [KDP’s] return to this building would be a blow to the enforcing the law operation,” Marwan Ali, an AAH official in Kirkuk, told Rudaw’s Hiwa Hussamadin on Monday, adding that the operation has “protected the Arab, Kurd, and Turkmen residents of the city, and today we live in stability and peace among all the components.”
The blocking of the key highway has forced all incoming and outgoing vehicles to resort to driving through the streets and alleys of nearby neighborhoods to get to their destination, including hundreds of container trucks which use the highway on a daily basis.
The protests have also hindered students residing in the nearby neighborhoods from arriving to university on time for their final exams.
Ahmad Salar, a student residing in Shoraw, told Rudaw English on Tuesday that they now need to drive about an hour and a half to get from Shoraw to the Univeristy of Kirkuk - A distance normally covered in less than 30 minutes.
KDP rivals, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the New Generation Movement (NGM), have accused the KDP of orchestrating the recent protests in a bid to “gain the sympathy” of Kurdish voters in Kirkuk ahead of the provincial council elections later this year.
Masoud Mala Parwez, a KDP official in Kirkuk, told Rudaw on Monday that the decision from Sudani has been issued over 20 days ago, adding that some Iraqi forces have already begun the evacuation process.
“We will carry out our campaign for Kirkuk’s provincial council elections inside our own offices,” stressed the KDP official.
Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. The city was under joint administration before 2014, when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Kurds held the city until October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control and expelled Kurdish security forces following the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) independence referendum.
Iraq’s provincial councils were dissolved in 2019, in response to demands by the Tishreen protesters who criticized the system for its failures and for enabling corruption. Provincial elections were last held in 2013, without Kirkuk.
The provincial council elections will not be held in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, but the polls remain of great significance to Iraq’s Kurds, as Kirkuk’s Kurdish political parties will be seeking a return to power in the historically-disputed city for the first time since 2017.
The PMF was formed when a group of militias responded to a call-to-arms from revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to stand against ISIS in 2014. While the force has been officially incorporated into the Iraqi security apparatus, militias within their ranks operate outside of Baghdad’s control and receive support from Iran.
Hiwa Hussamadin contributed to this report
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