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Iraq
The Iraqi flag flies in the hands of Kirkuk city's Peshmerga statue on September 12, 2020. Photo: Rudaw TV
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Turkmen Front has called on Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq's prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, to increase Iraqi military presence in Kirkuk and put the brakes on the return of Peshmerga forces to the contested province.
A copy of a Turkmen Front statement, dated September 6 and sent to Rudaw's Kirkuk-based reporter Hiwa Hussameddin on Saturday, shows the party calling on Kadhimi "to send supporting military and security forces to impose security across the province."
"We feel there is a conspiracy against the people of the province [of Kirkuk] to take us back to the pre-October 16, 2017 events. Such violations will not affect the determination and will of the people of the province to give up their rights and allow the return of terror and assassinations once again," the statement added.
Kirkuk is an ethnically diverse city, part of a swathe of northern Iraq territory contested by Erbil and Baghdad. Kirkuk province was controlled by the Peshmerga after they expelled the Islamic State (ISIS) from the area in 2014 - but Iraqi forces supported by Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries took control of the city in October 2017. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has pressed for a return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk ever since.
Both Arabs and Turkmen living under Kurdish control of the city after 2014 have alleged rights violations; in interviews conducted by the International Crisis Group in July 2019, both ethnic groups accused Kurdish security forces of abusing its powers by harassing civilians and carrying out unlawful detentions.
Six Turkmen parties showed their support for the September 6 statement in a meeting held by the Iraqi Turkmen Front on Friday, Riaz Sari Kahya, head of the Turkmenli Party – one of the parties in support of the call – told Rudaw.
Speaking to Rudaw on Saturday, Turkmen Front official Qahtan Wendawi expressed worry that "some parties" are looking to "disturb" the situation in the city.
"In a bid to prevent such attempts from happening and disallow political rivalries in Kirkuk, we as the Iraqi Turkmen Front called on Mustafa al-Kadhimi to send in a special and well-trained force," Wendawi said.
The Turkmen Front's call to Kadhimi was condemned by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) – the largest Kurdish political party in the province, which six of Kirkuk's 12 Iraqi parliament members belong to.
"As the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), we believe that the security of this city cannot be provided without the presence or any joint work with the Peshmerga forces," PUK official Najat Ahmed said.
Ahmed accused the Turkmen Front of "implementing a foreign agenda," most likely in reference to Turkey's backing of Turkmen parties.
Baghdad and Erbil's dispute over territory has led to a security void in areas like Kirkuk province, creating fertile ground for what remains of ISIS to return to the group's earlier insurgency tactics.
The Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army have recently engaged in rounds of talks in both Baghdad and Erbil to reach an agreement on the Peshmerga's return to disputed territory, for a coordinated stamp-out of ISIS in those areas.
The latest of these negotiations took place in Erbil in late July, with Sirwan Barzani, Peshmerga commander of the Makhmour-Gwer front saying at the time that the return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk remained a sticking point.
"Kirkuk is an impediment," Barzani said of the process of reaching an agreement on the return of the Peshmerga. "We have not agreed on the deployment of forces in or outside of the city center. It is not easy for either side to resolve the sensitivity of Kirkuk city center," Barzani said.
Security in Kirkuk's city center is currently controlled by the Iraqi Council of Ministers' Brigade 61 – an armed security force – and local police forces. Security in the rest of Kirkuk province is controlled by divisions of the Iraqi Federal Police. All forces report directly to Kirkuk's federal government-run intelligence agency.
Iraqi forces have turned the Turkmen Front's request down, saying that the city is already "well secured".
"Kirkuk has recently been the safest place," Saad Harbiye, commander of the Kirkuk Joint Operations Command told Rudaw. "We are not in need of any additional armed force."
A copy of a Turkmen Front statement, dated September 6 and sent to Rudaw's Kirkuk-based reporter Hiwa Hussameddin on Saturday, shows the party calling on Kadhimi "to send supporting military and security forces to impose security across the province."
"We feel there is a conspiracy against the people of the province [of Kirkuk] to take us back to the pre-October 16, 2017 events. Such violations will not affect the determination and will of the people of the province to give up their rights and allow the return of terror and assassinations once again," the statement added.
Kirkuk is an ethnically diverse city, part of a swathe of northern Iraq territory contested by Erbil and Baghdad. Kirkuk province was controlled by the Peshmerga after they expelled the Islamic State (ISIS) from the area in 2014 - but Iraqi forces supported by Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries took control of the city in October 2017. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has pressed for a return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk ever since.
Both Arabs and Turkmen living under Kurdish control of the city after 2014 have alleged rights violations; in interviews conducted by the International Crisis Group in July 2019, both ethnic groups accused Kurdish security forces of abusing its powers by harassing civilians and carrying out unlawful detentions.
Six Turkmen parties showed their support for the September 6 statement in a meeting held by the Iraqi Turkmen Front on Friday, Riaz Sari Kahya, head of the Turkmenli Party – one of the parties in support of the call – told Rudaw.
Speaking to Rudaw on Saturday, Turkmen Front official Qahtan Wendawi expressed worry that "some parties" are looking to "disturb" the situation in the city.
"In a bid to prevent such attempts from happening and disallow political rivalries in Kirkuk, we as the Iraqi Turkmen Front called on Mustafa al-Kadhimi to send in a special and well-trained force," Wendawi said.
The Turkmen Front's call to Kadhimi was condemned by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) – the largest Kurdish political party in the province, which six of Kirkuk's 12 Iraqi parliament members belong to.
"As the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), we believe that the security of this city cannot be provided without the presence or any joint work with the Peshmerga forces," PUK official Najat Ahmed said.
Ahmed accused the Turkmen Front of "implementing a foreign agenda," most likely in reference to Turkey's backing of Turkmen parties.
Baghdad and Erbil's dispute over territory has led to a security void in areas like Kirkuk province, creating fertile ground for what remains of ISIS to return to the group's earlier insurgency tactics.
The Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army have recently engaged in rounds of talks in both Baghdad and Erbil to reach an agreement on the Peshmerga's return to disputed territory, for a coordinated stamp-out of ISIS in those areas.
The latest of these negotiations took place in Erbil in late July, with Sirwan Barzani, Peshmerga commander of the Makhmour-Gwer front saying at the time that the return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk remained a sticking point.
"Kirkuk is an impediment," Barzani said of the process of reaching an agreement on the return of the Peshmerga. "We have not agreed on the deployment of forces in or outside of the city center. It is not easy for either side to resolve the sensitivity of Kirkuk city center," Barzani said.
Security in Kirkuk's city center is currently controlled by the Iraqi Council of Ministers' Brigade 61 – an armed security force – and local police forces. Security in the rest of Kirkuk province is controlled by divisions of the Iraqi Federal Police. All forces report directly to Kirkuk's federal government-run intelligence agency.
Iraqi forces have turned the Turkmen Front's request down, saying that the city is already "well secured".
"Kirkuk has recently been the safest place," Saad Harbiye, commander of the Kirkuk Joint Operations Command told Rudaw. "We are not in need of any additional armed force."
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