Kirkuk police announced that a curfew was declared, calling on the residents of the city to return to their homes due to the protests in the city.
The demonstrators gathered in the Rahimava region of Kirkuk, where Kurds live intensely, and blocked some roads by burning tires.
THEY WANT THE ROAD TO BE OPEN TOO
The protesters also want the Erbil-Kirkuk road to be opened, which was closed by those who oppose handing over the building, which was used by the KDP until 2017, to the party again.
When the demonstrators, who argued that the building used by the army should be given to the KDP, approached the area of action carried out by Arabs and Turkmens in front of the headquarters, the security forces opened fire in the air, it was seen that smoke rose from the scene and ambulances were dispatched to the area.
OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
On the other hand, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia es-Sudani ordered the security forces to launch an operation against those who caused an incident in Kirkuk, where a curfew was declared.
THERE ARE DEAD AND INJURED
Kirkuk Police Department Spokesperson Amir Nuri said that 1 person died and 6 people were injured in the events in the city.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Peshmerga forces affiliated to the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) started to deploy to the bases evacuated by the Iraqi army in Kirkuk after the emergence of the terrorist organization DAESH in 2014, and took the de facto control of the city for 3 years.
After the so-called “independence referendum” and the annexation attempt of the KRG on September 25, 2017, forces affiliated with the central government entered Kirkuk on October 16, 2017, ending the Peshmerga presence in the city.
The Iraqi army evacuated the KDP building and made it the Kirkuk Operations Command headquarters.
KDP states that the building in question was used by them before and should be given to them again.
The protests against the preparations for the building to be evacuated by the order of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia es-Sudani and handed over to the KDP have been going on since 25 August.
The demonstrations in front of the headquarters are supported by Sunni Arab Tribes in Kirkuk, different groups from Turkmen, and some supporters of the Asayib Ehlilhak Movement led by Kays al-Hazali.
Source: AA