LAST NEWS ABOUT KIRKUK/ KURDISTAN

[Anthea]

Kirkuk farmers protest land takeover

Kurdish farmers in the Kirkuk village of Haftaghar have protested against land takeover by Arab settlers, in the latest land dispute in the province

Farmers say Arab settlers – who were given land during the Baath regime rule – have ploughed their land with permission of the Iraqi security forces

When Saddam and his Baath regime fell the ARAB THIEVES should have been removed from the land they stole

“There were around 20 tractors ploughing our farmland. We have official papers, including contracts, land ownership and court documents. The farmers protested and the security forces went to them and confiscated the tractors for three days,” said Assi Ali.

“The governor has decided the farmland, which has been owned by the Kurds since 2003, should be given to the Arabs,” said village chieftain Mohammed Ibrahim.

Farmers gathered in the village on Tuesday to protest, and say the Arabs have been barred from using the land for three days.

Kirkuk province constitutes part of the territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.

Arabs from elsewhere in Iraq were brought into the disputed areas of Kirkuk largely between 1970 and 1978. The Arabization of the province has been a historical flashpoint between Baghdad and the Kurds.

After 2003 and the fall of the Baath regime, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization within the framework of Article 140 of the constitution, which aims to reverse the demographic changes begun by Saddam Hussein.

Lands that had been confiscated from Kurds and Turkmen were returned, while the Arabs who had been resettled were given financial compensation.

“The decision from the governorate is a violation of article 140 that says these Arabs have been compensated. In article 140, subdivision four says anyone who has been compensated has withdrawn from the contract,” said Shkar Mardan, a lawyer representing the farmers in Haftaghar.

Kurdish farmers across several Kirkuk villages have said that Arabs have encroached on their land.

Farmers in the village of Mansour previously accused Arab farmers of violating an agreement to stay off their farmland, saying federal police do little to intervene.

Kurdish residents of the village of Palkana were threatened with expulsion earlier this month.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/231220201

[Anthea]

Garbage-littered streets of
Kirkuk a nuisance to locals

Kirkuk lawmakers are requesting more money from the federal government, as residents complain of garbage lining the oil-rich city’s streets due to a lack of basic services



Unlike most other Iraqi provinces, the disputed province of Kirkuk receives money from the Iraq’s ministries rather than that assigned to provinces in the federal budget.

However, some lawmakers say more needs to go directly to the province to pay for essential services and settle debts

“There are projects from 2012 and 2013 that contractors have not been paid for. The government owes the contractors massive amounts. Therefore, a budget should be allocated to Kirkuk [by the Iraqi government], Khabat Asaad, advisor to Kirkuk governor, told Rudaw.

However, some Kurdish residents of the city say the requested allocation would not make a difference in their lives. They accuse local authorities of not providing sufficient services to areas where members of the ethnic group live.

“The [local authorities] discriminate against some of the neighbourhoods. As you can see, this is the state of this area. This road is completely covered with garbage,” Hardi Obeid, a resident of Kirkuk’s Kurdistan neighborhood, told Rudaw.

“Whether or not a budget is allocated, nothing will be done,” claims Bashdar Izzadin, another resident of the area.

Several Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen lawmakers representing Kirkuk in Iraq’s parliament have requested the city receive a share of the federal budget.

However, one Kurdish MP is worried such an act would further corruption and of misusing state funds.

“We are not into the idea of any budget being allocated to Kirkuk as to prevent it from being misused. The current administration of Kirkuk is corrupt,” Rebwar Taha, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) MP, told Rudaw.

“As parliamentarians from Kirkuk, we are focusing on one point: a budget to be allocated for the clearing of the city's trash. Turkmen and Arabs [MPs from Kirkuk] have joined us in submitting this request that a budget only be allocated to Kirkuk municipality to clean the city of litter,” he added.

Explaining Kirkuk’s financial allocation, MP Dilan Ghafoor noted that “only 141 billion Iraqi dinars have been allocated to Kirkuk province in the 2021 budget, which is less than what has been allocated to other Iraqi provinces.”

She told Rudaw English on Saturday that “Kirkuk does not directly deal with the government, but all the province’s budget is funded through the ministries.”

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/160120211

[Anthea]

I apologise for not keeping up with this thread but regular followers will know we have had many technical problems here at RBK

Arabic only: Kirkuk erases
Kurdish from official signage

Kurds in Kirkuk are demanding the provincial government reverse a move to use only Arabic and some English on official signage in the multi-ethnic city

“We will not accept this move and we have told them this multiple times,” Jamal Shkur, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) member in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw’s Hardi Muhammad on Thursday. “This is an intentional move to wipe out Kurds from Kirkuk and change the demographics of Kirkuk, just like in the times of Saddam.”

A concerted effort under Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime, mostly between 1970 and 1978, relocated Arabs from elsewhere in Iraq to Kirkuk, forcing out Kurdish residents.

After 2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization to reverse the demographic changes and some of the land was returned to the original owners. Sadly, many of the Arab thieves remain in Kirkuk.

ALL ARABS PLACED IN KIRKUK ONDER THE BAATH REGIME MUST BE REMOVED

In 2012, Kirkuk’s provincial council decided that all governmental signage must be in the languages of its four main ethnic groups: Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen, and Syriac.

After 2017, when Kurds lost military and administrative control of Kirkuk following a bid for Kurdish independence, Kurds have said they are once again being forced off their lands, sparking fears of a renewed Arabization effort.

The governorate building, appeal court, and airport are among the many places in Kirkuk with new signs in Arabic and some English, but no Kurdish, Turkmen, or Syriac.

Local Kurdish residents say the problem goes beyond just the signage and they cannot speak their language in official settings.

“All governmental proceedings have been changed to Arabic, and if you speak in Kurdish, chances are no one will help you,” said Ali Abbas.

“Most times when we go to a government building and ask for something in Kurdish, they do not respond to us so we have to switch to Arabic or Turkmen,” said Farhad Khalid.

Officials in the governorate office said they will correct the problem with the signs, adding other languages.

“We spoke to the governor of Kirkuk and his deputy – the signs will be changed,” said Dler Shwani, head of public relations for the governorate. “All governmental building signs in Kirkuk should be labeled in four languages.”

Kirkuk is disputed between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and is home to Kurd, Arab, Turkmen, and Christian inhabitants. Other disputed territories lie in the provinces of Nineveh, Diyala and Salahaddin.

Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution was supposed to have resolved the issue of the disputed provinces by 2007, but successive governments have failed to implement the steps outlined in the provision.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/26032021

[Anthea]

Peshmerga not returning to Kirkuk city

Peshmerga forces are not returning to Kirkuk city, a top official from the force told Rudaw English late Wednesday, saying they would only be deployed to unpopulated areas

Three Arab and Turkmen members of Iraqi parliament claimed on Wednesday that Peshmerga forces are using the Islamic State (ISIS) threat against Kirkuk city as an excuse to return there, calling for the postponement of Iraqi upcoming elections in the city for a week. Iraqi parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 10.

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar told Rudaw English that such claims are only a campaigning tool and not based in reality, saying that Peshmerga will not be deployed to populated areas in Kirkuk.

“Most of these statements are part of an election campaign. They use this subject for their political campaign for next month’s elections. We have reiterated several times to Iraqi and Kurdish media outlets that Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces do not intend to enter Kirkuk city and there is no agreement regarding the deployment of Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk or any other cities mentioned by these people,” said Yawar.

“The agreement between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Joint Operations Command is aimed at filling the gaps located outside cities. These places have been a safe haven for Daesh terrorists. For example areas located between Tuz Khurmatu and Kifri, or unpopulated areas. These areas do not even include villages but hills, valleys and mountains,” he added.

The Ministry of Peshmerga announced in July talks are ongoing about the formation of two joint brigades of Iraqi and Peshmerga forces to counter ISIS remnants in disputed areas. Yawar said that they have set up six coordination centers in the disputed areas and two main ones in Erbil and Baghdad.

The Peshmerga official also said that the two brigades will be fully under the control of the federal government.

“Peshmerga forces will be transferred to these brigades and become part of the Iraqi forces. They will no longer remain as Peshmerga but be affiliated to Iraqi Armed Forces Command. The force that will be formed will include Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and other groups. It is not a Kurdish or Arab force,” he stated.

He denied claims that the formation of these two brigades is a violation of the Iraqi constitution, adding that the Peshmerga is part of the Iraqi defense system.

ISIS’ exploitation of the security gap between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the disputed areas has pushed both forces to increase their coordination and cooperation. ISIS was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 but its remnants continue with tactics, including ambushes, kidnappings and targeted killings in the disputed areas.

Peshmerga forces lost control of Kirkuk and other areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad in October 2017 after Iraqi forces launched an attack against them in response to the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum in these areas

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/160920214

[Anthea]

Displaced Kirkuk voters urge Kurds to vote

Kurds who were displaced from their homes in Kirkuk four years ago are urging their fellow voters to cast a ballot to ensure a Kurdish majority in the disputed province

“It is very crucial that we vote as Kurds from Kirkuk because one less vote means one less vote for Kurds, whether here or in Kirkuk,” said voter Yashar Jabar.

Kirkuk is an ethnically diverse province, home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. In previous elections, Kurdish parties have secured a majority of votes. On October 16, 2017, after the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Iraqi forces retook control of Kirkuk, expelling Kurdish security forces. Thousands of Kurdish families fled to provinces of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish governor was replaced with an Arab. Now, Kurds believe their vote is essential to maintaining their majority.

Ismael Ahmad was one of those who were displaced to Erbil. In the last election, he voted in Erbil. “Now we are all ready to vote with our families. If the political parties say, we will go back to Kirkuk, we don’t mind. But if it is here, we prefer it, as it is better for us,” he told Rudaw on Saturday.

Three members of Iraq’s parliament representing Arab and Turkmen communities have called for a weeklong postponement of the election in Kirkuk city, saying they were concerned about Kurdish Peshmerga returning to the city. The Peshmerga denied there is a plan for Kurdish deployment to the city, and accused the MPs of trying to stir up voters.

Arab thieves should not take part in Kirkuk elections - in the UK if someone steals another person#s home they are evicted and definitely NOT allowed to use said property to vote from

The displacement in 2017 was not the first wave of migration out of Kirkuk. In the 1980s, during the former Baath regime’s genocidal campaign against Kurds, many Kurdish families fled to Erbil and other provinces, deeper into Kurdistan Region territory. Some families have remained in Erbil, but they return to Kirkuk every election.

“In 1986 we were displaced just because we were Kurds. We vote at Pirde (Altun Kupri) which is part of Kirkuk, and our vote is for Kurds certainly,” Mahdi Zryan told Rudaw.

According to Iraq’s directorate of migration Erbil office, in 2017, around 7,000 families from Kirkuk were displaced to Erbil. Around 5,000 of them have since returned home. Another around 8,000 families were displaced to Erbil in 1986 and still remain.

The election commission issued biometric voting cards for displaced voters who brought documentation of their status. “Now there are around 25,200 displaced voters in Erbil who are allowed to vote on October 8, two days ahead of elections in Erbil, but their vote will count for their own provinces,” Botan Sherko Jaff from the electoral commission office in Erbil told Rudaw.

Kirkuk province is divided into three constituencies with a combined 12 seats up for grab. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which for years has gained the most votes in the province, is running seven candidates as part of the Kurdistan Coalition with Gorran shits. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) did not run in the province in the last election, but this year is fielding two candidates.

At least 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections next month, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/19092021

[Anthea]

Kurdistan flag at the heart of election

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said its election campaign in the disputed city of Kirkuk is going well and Kurdish parties are able to raise the Kurdistan flag anywhere they want since the thieving Iraqi pigs took control of the province in 2017

The KDP has been able to "break the fear barrier" since they decided to return to Kirkuk, Mohammed Khurshid, head of the KDP’s election office in the city, told Rudaw in an interview published on Saturday.

The KDP's offices in Kirkuk were taken over by Iraqi forces in 2017 after Kurdistan’s independence referendum. The party withdrew from the city, condemning what they called an “occupation.” They have returned in order to contest the October 10 parliamentary election.

The Kurdistan flag has been at the heart of political rivalries in Kirkuk for a long time. When the provincial council, then under the control of Kurdish parties, voted to raise the flag over state buildings in late March 2017, it drew criticism from the government in Baghdad, most of the non-Kurdish parties in the city, and neighbouring countries such as Turkey. When Iraqi armed forces took control of Kirkuk later that same year, one of their first actions was to lower the Kurdistan flag.

Khurshid insists that much has changed since 2017, especially since they re-opened their election office. He claimed raising the Kurdistan flag set a precedent that was followed by other parties.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which won almost half Kirkuk’s seats in the last election, said on Saturday they have been told by the election commission that flying the Kurdistan flag is forbidden. PUK’s Ali Qalayi told Rudaw they were told only Iraqi and party flags are permitted, but that their party “won’t abide” by the order.

A source from Kirkuk's Independent High Electoral Commission told Rudaw on Sunday they never issued instructions against the Kurdistan flag.

The KDP is eyeing a full return to Kirkuk. Opening an election office is one step, said Khurshid.

“There has been progress and the progress is good. We are waiting for the decision of the leadership of the KDP. As soon they decide, we will go back,” he said.

The party does not, however, recognize the governor. Baghdad named Rakan al-Jabouri, a Sunni Arab, to replace the Kurdish Najmaldin Karim.

“He was imposed on the people of Kirkuk with force and is a sign of occupation. We still say that Kirkuk was occupied with the use of full force. The military environment that was created should be removed,” Khurshid said.

Three members of the Iraqi parliament who identified themselves as representatives of Turkmen and Arabs, have called for a weeklong delay of the election in Kirkuk, believing that the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are trying to return under the guise of fighting the Islamic State group (ISIS). They also called on the United Nations and the Iraqi election office to directly oversee the electoral process. The Peshmerga have issued a denial.

Khurshid said the KDP is prepared to take part in the Iraqi election "now or anytime," but he questioned "how a week can make any difference."

“This is yet another excuse from those Turkmen and Arab parties aimed to stop the progress made,” he added.

The UN has 130 observers monitoring the election and has said they will pay "special attention" to Kirkuk because of its "sensitivities."

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/190920211

[Anthea]

Kurdistan flag banned in Kirkuk

A Kurdish actor says she was stopped twice by members of Kirkuk's security forces who demanded she remove a Kurdistan flag she hangs in her car

A video of the second encounter shows Awara Khan moving through a temporary checkpoint at the Ikhwan intersection in Kirkuk. The Kurdish flag is displayed over the dashboard of her car. Two members of the security forces are seen, one of them is speaking Kurdish, and the second in Arabic.

"It is forbidden," one of the officers says in Arabic. "It is an order from the Prime Minister. It is entirely forbidden," he continued.

"It is the blood of my family," she says in the video in reference to the Kurdistan flag. Khan has lost 10 members of her family during the rule of the former dictator Saddam Hussein including her father, a Peshmerga fighter, and two brothers.

"It is the blood of 200,000 people," she added, this time referring to the collective number of Kurds killed at the hands of the former Iraqi government including an estimated 182,000 who were killed or disappeared during the genocidal Anfal campaign.

Awara Khan said she always keeps the Kurdistan flag in her car, and wears a necklace with a map of Kurdistan colored with the Kurdish flag.

"He said remove it as it is forbidden. I said I won't. While I was in park mode, he stretched his hands to remove it. I did not allow it," said the actor. "I said 'I won't allow it, nor will I hand it over to you.'"

She said she was stopped for a period of about two hours before she was allowed to pass the checkpoint.

Rudaw contacted both the police and the command tasked with security in Kirkuk but they refused to talk about the incident.

The issue of the flag of Kurdistan has once again resurfaced in the disputed city after the election campaign for Iraqi parliament kicked off. One Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official claimed over the weekend that the electoral commission had instructed authorities to ban the Kurdistan flag during the campaign, a claim denied by the election body in Kirkuk.

Shakhawan Abdulla, a candidate for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Kirkuk, told Rudaw on Monday he was told by the security forces that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding.

"That issue varies per individual member of the security force," the KDP candidate said. "They are not instructed properly."

Kirkuk is part of the disputed areas claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad. The city was briefly under the control of the Kurdish Peshmerga between 2014 and 2017, but now falls under the control of federal Iraq.

A concerted effort under Saddam Hussein's Baath regime, mostly between 1970 and 1978, relocated Arabs from elsewhere in Iraq to Kirkuk, forcing out Kurdish residents. After 2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization to reverse the demographic changes and land was returned to the original owners

After 2017, when Kurds lost military and administrative control of Kirkuk following a bid for Kurdish independence, Kurds have said they are once again being forced off their lands, sparking fears of a renewed Arabization effort.

Kirkuk's provincial council voted in March 2017 to raise the Kurdistan flag over the state buildings, a decision condemned by the Iraqi government and was soon reversed as soon the city fell to Iraqi forces later that year on October 16.

Link to Article - Video:

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/210920211

[Anthea]

Calls for 2-day election delay
(Sadly 2 days would not be long enough to throw all the thieving Arabs and Turkmen out)

The governor of Kirkuk said he supports a two-day postponement of the election in the ethnically diverse province in order to resolve disputes between different groups and to prevent a repeat of the allegations of fraud that were made after the 2018 vote

"The reason behind that suggestion is that we want the national office [of the Independent High Electoral Commission] to come and end the conflict between the components,” Rakan al-Jabouri told Rudaw’s Shahyan Tahseen in an interview on September 14 in Kirkuk.

Turkmen and Arab politicians have called for a week-long delay. One of their concerns was the impartiality of the election office in Kirkuk where they claimed Kurdish staff were stacking the vote in favour of their fellow Kurds.

Jabouri said the suspicions were to be expected: “If the head of the office were Kurdish, others would be suspicious and the same is true if it were Turkmen or Arab."

He said the electoral commission has discussed their request, “but no decision has been made."

Oil rich Kirkuk is home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen and lies within the disputed areas claimed by both the federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Jabouri, an Arab, was named governor by Baghdad to replace his Kurdish predecessor who was sacked after the Kurdistan independence referendum in 2017.

In 2018, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won six seats in the Iraqi parliament in an election that some regarded as rigged, a charge denied by the PUK.

"Nobody is in denial that what happened in the 2018 elections was a catastrophe, including fraud and interference in the electronic [devices]. It is proven. So in fact, in Kirkuk, we need an election that will reflect its reality," Jabouri said.

The PUK, running in the election as part of the Kurdistan Coalition with Gorran, is hoping to keep its strong representation in Kirkuk. Launching their campaign in Kirkuk earlier this month, head of the coalition Qubad Talabani repeated a common PUK slogan: “Kirkuk is the Jerusalem of Kurdistan.”

"So long as there is a living Kurd, Kirkuk will remain a Kurdish city," he told a crowd of supporters.

Bafel Talabani, co-leader of the PUK, visited Kirkuk on Sunday and used similar language, saying Kirkuk is their “red line.”

A Turkmen candidate disputed Kurdish claims over Kirkuk.

"Kirkuk is Turkmen and we won't compromise on that," Mardin Tahsin, a candidate for the Turkmen Front, said during Rudaw’s special election programme Ranj Circle on Sunday.

He said that Turkmens lived in Kirkuk for thousands of years before the arrival of the Ottoman Empire.

Shakhawan Abdullah, a candidate for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), accused the Turkmen Front of working for a foreign power. "They are here with the money and the funds they receive from Turkey," he said.

Tahsin denied the accusation, saying they have "social, cultural and familial relations with Turkey, nothing more than that” and pointed out that the Kurdistan Region also enjoys good ties, especially financial, with Turkey.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/270920214

[Anthea]

Can the KDP regain ground in Kirkuk?

Four years after the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) left Kirkuk claiming it was “occupied” by federal forces, the party is looking to return to the disputed areas, starting by fielding 14 candidates in Kirkuk and Nineveh in the October 10 parliamentary election and then building on electoral victories to address security problems and relations. But it faces challenges to return to these hotly contested territories

In October 2017, a few weeks after Kurdistan’s independence referendum, the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) forced Kurdish Peshmerga forces out of areas claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad. The territorial loss, especially of oil-rich Kirkuk, was a devastating blow to Kurds.

Most of the Kurdish political parties closed their offices in these areas. The KDP has not been able to reopen most of them, though its rival the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has opened its main office in Kirkuk.

In the May 2018 Iraqi elections, the KDP did not run in Kirkuk. It did, though, field candidates in Nineveh and won six seats.

To return to Kirkuk this year, the KDP got guarantees from Baghdad, Shakhawan Abdullah, a former MP in the Iraqi parliament representing Kirkuk and the KDP's strongest candidate in the city, told Rudaw last month. The party was promised it would be able to raise the Kurdistan flag and campaign without pressure from security forces. Abdullah said this agreement with Baghdad would not have been possible without party leader Masoud Barzani’s “leverage” in Iraq.

Reconnecting with voters

The KDP has been almost totally absent in most of the disputed areas for four years, making it hard to connect with voters as it tries to reassert itself in areas fraught with ethnic tensions and sparring forces.

“The contact with the KDP supporters in Mosul and Nineveh has been very weak. Hashd al-Shaabi forces have oppressed and detained Peshmerga and KDP cadres in the Nineveh Plains several times,” Sherwan Dubardani, a KDP candidate in Nineveh campaigning for re-election, told Rudaw English.

He said they cannot move around or visit supporters freely in the province because of Hashd forces and “this has severely affected the link with the KDP supporters.”

In Kirkuk, the KDP’s campaign is limited to gatherings at temporary offices while its own building is still under the control of security forces.

The situation is even more fraught with difficulties in places like Shingal, northern Nineveh province where several armed forces operate, including some who see the KDP as a foe.

Last year, Baghdad and Erbil reached an agreement for the security and administration of troubled Shingal that gave the federal government the responsibility of removing the armed factions and creating a new force that recruits from the local population in order to restore security so Yazidi population that fled the Islamic State group (ISIS) can return. The deal has yet to be fully implemented.

On Saturday, a group of KDP officials and candidates, escorted by the Iraqi army, headed to Shingal to campaign, but they were prevented from entering the town by a group of people.

Qasim Shasho, head of Peshmerga forces in Shingal, told Rudaw they had made all preparations with the Iraqi army to hold the event, but were stopped by members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) “who were disguised as civilians.” After several failed attempts to reach an agreement with the group on the road, the KDP team returned to Duhok.

PKK media reported that people were angry at the KDP for abandoning them when ISIS attacked Shingal in 2014.

The PKK and KDP are bitter rivals, with a long history of antagonism that at times leads to deadly clashes.

Mahma Khalil, Shingal mayor and KDP candidate, told Rudaw in late September that his posters have been torn by groups affiliated with the PKK. “Election campaigns in Shingal are not going normally. Our posters are attacked and the KDP candidates in Nineveh cannot visit our people and our security is not guaranteed,” he said.

The party expects to hold onto its six seats in Nineveh and hopes it can improve on its result there. In Kirkuk, the KDP would like Kurdish parties take at least six seats.

Harbinger of change?

Deputy head of the KDP Nechirvan Barzani, who is also president of the Kurdistan Region, said reopening their offices in the disputed areas is a “good step,” but their problems extend much further.

“KDP’s offices will definitely be reopened there. However, the matter is not the reopening of offices … Kirkuk is a deep and serious issue,” he told the party’s official media last month.

Kirkuk is home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen with historic hostile relations between them. The Kurdish parties and forces were pushed out after Kirkuk participated in Kurdistan’s 2017 independence referendum. The Kurdish governor was replaced by an Arab, Rakan al-Jabouri, and Kurds complained of a new wave of “Arabization” with Arabs taking over Kurdish lands and Kurds being forced out of official roles.

Jabouri called for a brief delay of the election in Kirkuk because of fears of bias among Kurdish staff in the election commission office.

Abdullah believes they can make changes in Kirkuk if they return.

“With the return of the KDP many things will change. For example, the ongoing injustice should not continue in terms of services and marginalization of Kurds in [government] offices,” he told Rudaw.

“Regarding the security dossier, we believe that the current reality should change,” he said, adding that Kurds should have people in all levels of the security. “It is not possible to have the head of the operations from another ethnic group while the Kurds are the biggest force.”

The return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk city is flatly rejected by Arabs and Turkmen. Erbil and Baghdad are taking steps to improve their cooperation in the disputed areas where ISIS takes advantage of a security gap between the two sides. Peshmerga commanders, however, insist that they will only be present in rural areas and under the command of Baghdad.

Zryan Rojhalat is a researcher at Rudaw Research Center. He believes success in the election could pave the way for the return of the KDP to the disputed areas and could improve security. “This can also have a role in the security of the areas,” he told Rudaw English. “The return of the KDP and all other political parties will surely be effective.”

https://www.rudaw.net/english/analysis/02102021

[Anthea]

We do not want ethnic tension in Kirkuk

Nechirvan Barzani said on Tuesday that his party does not want ethnic tension between any group in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and instead called for the riches of the city to be a blessing for all its people, Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs, and Christians.

“What the Kurdistan Democratic Party and its leader want is for the people of Kirkuk to have peace, for its oil and Kirkuk natural resources to propel Kirkuk forward and create job opportunities for the youth,” Barzani, deputy head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said in a speech from Erbil:

“Our struggle for Kirkuk has been for its national identity and its historical identity, like Khanaqin, Sinjar [Shingal], and Makhmour, without being against any ethic group.”

“Our demand is not for the oil of Kirkuk. Our demand is about the identity of Kirkuk. We do not want to entangle the people of Kirkuk in an ethnic war. We have never wanted that,” he added. “We want peace, services, reconstruction and coexistence and a genuine partnership in Kirkuk amongst all the groups that live in Kirkuk. We do not want the destiny of Kirkuk to be determined through interference, war or coup d’état.”

Political campaigning in Kurdistan Region and Iraq is under way as the parties jockey for votes on October 10 when millions of Iraqis are expected to cast their votes. The Kurdish parties, including the KDP, have been busy enticing voters to back their parties. Nechirvan Barzani, who is also president of the Kurdistan Region, has been on a journey across Erbil and Duhok provinces giving speeches to KDP supporters and undecided voters about why they should choose his party.

Campaigning in the disputed territories including in Kirkuk is challenging due to a large number of militia groups and activities of the Islamic State (ISIS), which is exploiting the security gap between the Kurdish Peshmerga and federal security forces to launch attacks.

Kirkuk has been one of the flashpoints between Kurds and Baghdad since the establishment of the Iraqi state in the aftermath of the First World War. The Kurdish national movement fighting for autonomy in the 1960s came to an agreement with the Baath regime in Baghdad to sign an autonomy agreement known as 11th of March 1970 agreement. This deal later faltered over the future of Kirkuk and who should control the city.

“The immortal Barzani did not agree for Kirkuk to be divided and Barzani was not happy to give up on Kirkuk,” Nechirvan Barzani said, referring to his grandfather Mala Mustafa Barzani who led Kurds during the 1961-1975 uprising that became known as the September Rebellion.

Kurds took the city two decades later in 1991 when the Iraqi army was rattled by intense bombing by the US-led coalition in the aftermath of the Kuwait war. However their grip on the city was short-lived and the Iraqi army retook the city.

In the aftermath of the US invasion of 2003, Kurdish Peshmerga and federal forces were both present in the city until June 2014 when Iraqi forces fled in the face of ISIS and defence of the city was left to the Peshmerga.

Once again in October 2017, tensions between Baghdad and Erbil broke into open warfare and the Peshmerga and Kurdish parties were forced out of Kirkuk as central government forces backed by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) advisors and Iran-backed militia attacked the city following the Kurdistan referendum for independence in which nearly 93% of Kurds voted to separate from Iraq.

“We want to determine the destiny of Kirkuk through Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution,” Barzani said in his speech. “This is a legal and just demand because the people of Iraq in 2005 as part of the Iraqi Constitution, voted for this article too and once again we want this article to be implemented.”

Article 140 calls for compensation for both Arab settlers and expelled Kurds, and the return of lands to their original Kurdish owners

The article was meant to culminate in a referendum for inhabitants of the territory to decide whether to join the Kurdistan Region or remain tied to the Iraqi government by no later than 2007. However, the article was never fully implemented due to disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.

Barzani said that for the Kurds, Kirkuk is an inseparable part of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has done its utmost to provide services to the people of Kirkuk, including electricity and reconstruction projects, when the Kurds were in charge of the city. “The books and the needs of many schools in Kirkuk are provided by the KRG. The salaries of the teachers of Kurdish schools and a large number of civil servants receive their salaries from the KRG budget,” Barzani added.

Barzani said that the Kurds are not happy with the way the federal government is running the city and how Kurdish employees have been sacked. “We are not very happy with the conditions in Kirkuk now and the way it has been administered, because it has been imposed and not elected by the people of Kirkuk,” Barzani said, adding that the level of services to the public has declined. “This is not a joint administration and the Kurds are not a party and many from our Turkmen brothers are not happy with it.”

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/051020212

Arabs should NOT be allowed to vote while living in properties, businesses and farms stolen from Kurds

[Anthea]

Kirkuk governor of violating campaign rules

A Kurdish lawmaker in Kirkuk accused the governor, who is running for election to Iraq’s parliament, of abusing his position and violating campaign rules, the latest election dispute in the ethnically diverse province

Dilan Ghafour, an MP from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) who is running for re-election, said on Tuesday that she will file a complaint against acting governor Rakan al-Jabouri with the Independent High Electoral Commission, alleging he used “his official position in favor of his campaign for the Iraqi parliament.”

“Rakan al-Jabouri opened the new building of Kirkuk governorate yesterday, to use this public project in favor of his personal interest and his election campaign,” Dilan Ghafour said in a press conference in Kirkuk.

Jabouri opened the building, built with public funds and still under construction, according to Ghafour, in a ceremony on Monday.

“This is a violation of the law and regulations of the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq,” Ghafour said.

The election campaign in Kirkuk has been fraught with disputes. Arab and Turkmen MPs had requested a week-long delay to the election in Kirkuk city, alleging Kurdish employees at the election commission were stacking the vote in favour of their fellow Kurds. Jabouri made a similar call, saying time was needed to resolve disputes between the groups.

Oil-rich Kirkuk is home to KURDS, Thieving Arabs, and Troublemaking Turkmen. It lies within the disputed areas claimed by both the thieving federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). In the 2018 election, the PUK won six seats and was accused of rigging the vote.

Jabouri was assigned as acting governor by Baghdad in 2017 after the Iraqi army and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi) militias took over the province from the Kurdish Peshmerga in the wake of the Kurdistan independence referendum. Kurds have accused him of discrimination and resurrecting the Baathist era policy of Arabization.

In 2020, he was summoned to court on charges of misusing public funds and was consequently issued with a travel ban by the Iraqi Integrity Commission.

Jabouri is now running in the October 10 election, looking to represent the predominantly Arab district in southern Kirkuk in the Iraqi parliament.

https://news.google.com/search?q=Kirkuk ... id=GB%3Aen

I am disgusted that the thieving Arabs are allowed to participate in Kirkuk elections - I am also disgusted that the international community does nothing to protect Kurds from invasions and Arabization

[Anthea]

Attacks on Kirkuk polling centers

The Iraqi security forces rejected claims that a suspected "terrorist" attack targeted any polling centers south of Kirkuk province Saturday evening

The Joint Operations Command said in a statement, "There is no truth to the false news that a terrorist [attack] targeted a polling station in the south of Kirkuk."

"Our heroic security forces are" working to eliminate "ISIS terrorist remnants."

Iraq's early parliamentary election is set to start Sunday, with polling stations slated to open at 7 a.m and close at 6 p.m.

In advance polling on Friday, which was primarily for over one million members of the security forces nationally and internally displaced persons, turnout was 69 percent, according to Iraq's electoral commission.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25 ... ing-center

[Anthea]

PM Barzani congratulates electoral success of

Kurdish representatives in Kirkuk

The Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani extended his congratulations to the Kurdish winners of the Iraqi elections in Kirkuk on Tuesday, declaring that their victory has “proven the Kurdistani identity of Kirkuk.”

“I want to congratulate the victory of the Kurdish representatives in Kirkuk in particular, they have again proven the Kurdistani identity of Kirkuk,” Barzani said.

The prime minister, himself a top member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), also congratulated KDP President Masoud Barzani and his fellow party members for the “remarkable victory” they had won in the election.

According to the preliminary results released by Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), the KDP is the leading party in the Kurdistan Region having won no fewer than 32 seats in the Iraqi parliament.

Barzani’s party had two candidates running in the disputed city of Kirkuk, both of whom won seats in the election. Shakawan Abdulla, a member of the KDP, obtained over 31,000 votes in the city, the highest in that province.

Prime Minister Barzani also congratulated the people of the Yezidi-majority Sinjar for their participation in the elections and for their “strong support” of the KDP.

On Tuesday night, the prime minister joined party supporters in a celebration of their electoral victory in the Primam suburb of the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil.

Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region, celebrates the electoral victory of his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the Iraqi elections with supporters in Erbil's Pirmam suburb. #iraqielections2021 pic.twitter.com/oecVxeZPoz
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) October 12, 2021

In the Nineveh Plain, of which Sinjar is an electoral and administrative part, the KDP won nine seats.

Barzani also congratulated other winners of the elections and expressed his hope that they would work together for securing the Kurdish people’s interests and “full implementation” of the Iraqi constitution.

He also expressed his hope that such cooperation would bring economic, political, and security stability to Iraq and strengthen relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil and the central government in Baghdad.

In Sunday’s elections, over 25 million Iraqi voters were eligible to vote for more than 3,000 candidates who were competing for the 329-seat parliament.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25 ... -in-Kirkuk

[Anthea]

Kurds in Kirkuk arrested celebrating victory

Kurds in Kirkuk said Iraqi security forces broke up their celebration of election results in the disputed city and detained more than 100 people. Police accused the revelers of damaging public property

Dozens of Kurdish youth went into the streets of Kirkuk on Monday night celebrating a Kurdish election victory. The disputed city is home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen who have a history of at times hostile relations.

In preliminary results from Sunday’s parliamentary election, Kurds won six out of the province’s 12 seats. The other six were shared by Turkmen and Arab parties. Kurdish voters were ecstatic, dancing in the streets and waving the Kurdistan flag and banners of their political parties until security forces scattered the crowd.

“Today more than 30 Humvees came fully armed to stop celebrations,” a witness who was briefly detained told Rudaw on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity.

“They stopped me and asked where I’m going. When I said I’m going home from work, they beat me up… They took my phone and deleted videos of Kurdish parties. They questioned me, asking who I voted for. They disrespected us and beat us up,” he said.

He compared what he witnessed in the city to the “chauvinistic” behavior they endured under the former Baath regime and said security forces have now set up checkpoints and are patrolling the streets.

CCTV footage shared on social media showed security forces barging into private houses.

According to Mohammad Khorshid, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Kirkuk, over 100 people were detained and 38 people are still being held at two police stations, Azadi and Rahimawa. They are all Kurds.

“We have called on security forces in Kirkuk to remain calm with people and not mistreat them,” he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi decided on Wednesday to release all those who were detained. He made the decision in a phonecall with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, according to a statement from Barzani's office.

Rudaw English reached out to the Iraqi government spokesperson, but he was not immediately available for comment.

Kirkuk police accused the people celebrating of damaging public property.

"It is unacceptable for people to come into the streets and destroy public property and break the windows of ambulances and create chaos. There are multiple football fields they could have rented and had their celebrations there, but this was not a celebration and it is not acceptable,” Kirkuk police spokesperson Amer Muheidin told Rudaw English.

He said about 30 people are still detained and will most likely be released today.

Relations between ethnic groups in Kirkuk are tense. On October 16, 2017, after Kirkuk took part in the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Iraqi forces retook control of the disputed province, expelling Kurdish security forces. Thousands of Kurds fled to provinces of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish governor was replaced with an Arab.

The October 10 election was hotly contested in the city with each group keen to win seats and maintain their influence.

Ahead of the vote, Arab and Turkmen representatives called for a weeklong postponement of the election in Kirkuk city, saying they were concerned about Kurdish Peshmerga returning to the city and accusing Kurdish employees of the election commission of stacking the vote. The Peshmerga denied the charge and accused the MPs of trying to stir up voters.

Dilan Ghafoor, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) MP from Kirkuk who was re-elected on Sunday, said her party’s co-chair Bafel Talabani is directly handling the situation and she herself is in contact with the interior ministry.

“We will in no way accept this form of treatment and we will not accept Kurdish neighborhoods being threatened,” she told Rudaw English.

She estimates all the people arrested will be released within the next 24 hours, “but once again, this is not acceptable.”

Shakhawan Abdullah, a KDP candidate who earned the most votes in Kirkuk, told Rudaw English he will hold a press conference later on Wednesday to comment on the situation.

Link to Article - Video:

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/13102021

[Anthea]

25 airstrikes in southern Kirkuk
Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Air Force warplanes carried out 25 airstrikes against suspected ISIS targets in Wadi al-Shai in southern Kirkuk, the coalition confirmed in a tweet on Monday

The Iraqi Air Force conducted 25 airstrikes in Wadi al-Shai, Kirkuk, destroying 5 Daesh hideouts containing logistical support, said @IraqiSpoxMOD. The IAF’s capability & capacity to take the fight to Daesh is admirable & a reflection of our strong partnership. Well done, #IAF! https://t.co/stIPGRrPYr
— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) October 18, 2021

The airstrikes destroyed 5 ISIS hideouts containing logistical support, Iraqi military spokesperson Yehia Rasool confirmed. The air force used Sukhoi 25 aircraft and F-16s.

“The IAF’s (Iraqi Air Force) capability and capacity to take the fight to Daesh is admirable and a reflection of our strong partnership,” the coalition said.

ISIS attacks have escalated in Kirkuk, its surroundings, and other territories disputed between Baghdad and Erbil since the withdrawal of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in October 2017.

The Kurdish forces withdrew after Iranian-backed militias and the Iraqi military attacked the areas in response to the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum that saw an overwhelming majority of voters casting a ballot in favor of statehood.

As remnants of the terrorist organization continue to plan and carry out insurgency-style attacks, Iraqi security forces have recently carried out multiple airstrikes and raids against ISIS cells in southern Kirkuk.

On Sept 22, Iraqi Air Force warplanes have struck ISIS targets in Wadi Shai in southern Kirkuk.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25 ... ern-Kirkuk