KRG leader urges Kurds in Kirkuk to exercise restraint amid protests

KIRKUK, Iraq

Head of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Masrour Barzani has called on Kurds in Kirkuk city to exercise self-restraint amid protests that left at least four people dead.

Protests broke out in Kirkuk last week following a government decision to hand over the Kirkuk Operations Command headquarters to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The KDP argues that the building was previously used by them and should be given back to the party.

On Saturday, KDP supporters demonstrated in Kirkuk, blocking a number of roads with burning tires to demand the reopening of a highway linking the city to Erbil.

The violence forced the local authorities to declare a curfew in the city, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordering his security forces to act against rioters in the city.

In a statement, Barzani called on Kurdish residents in Kirkuk to refrain from engaging in acts of violence.

He also urged the Iraqi premier to protect the lives of demonstrators and bring the "unacceptable situation" under control.

Barzani underlined the importance of "not giving irresponsible people the opportunity to escalate, exacerbate and complicate the situation."

“We also appeal to the indigenous Arab and Turkmen citizens of Kirkuk not to allow outsiders to destabilize the city,” he added.

Peshmerga forces of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) were deployed to bases evacuated by the Iraqi government forces in Kirkuk following the emergence of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in 2014.

In 2017, Iraqi government forces entered Kirkuk, ending the Peshmerga presence in the city.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi