Baghdad issues arrest warrants for Kirkuk security officers

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – An Iraqi Judicial Court this week issued arrest warrants for the Chief of Police and 12 other officers from the Kirkuk district and sub-districts.

Kurdistan 24 obtained documents outlining the arrest warrants issued against Brigadier General Sarhad Qader and 12 others under Article 4 of the anti-terrorism law.

The documents reveal that any Iraqi security and police force has the mandate to arrest Qader and the other officers.

The arrest warrants are part of ongoing punitive measures implemented by the Federal Government of Iraq in the aftermath of the Kurdistan Region’s Sep. 25 independence referendum, which saw nearly 93 percent of people vote for secession from Iraq.

After the Oct. 16 assault and takeover of Kirkuk by Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias, Baghdad issued several arrest warrants against officials who supported the vote.

Brigadier General Qader served as a security officer in Kirkuk for 14 years, ever since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime.

He was also Chief of Police in the city of Kirkuk during the rise of the Islamic State (IS), working with Kurdish Peshmerga forces to protect the disputed territory from the militant group’s threats after the Iraqi army collapsed in 2014.   

Security in Kirkuk has become an increasing concern for its inhabitants, with tens of thousands of people fleeing out of fear of reprisals and abuses by Iraqi forces and militias, and many refusing to return.

Since Oct. 16, the cities of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu have suffered suicide bombings and general instability as a result of disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany