Peshmerga Ministry asks Shia militia to leave Khurmatu
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga Ministry has called on Iraqi Shia militia, Hashd al-Shaabi, to leave Khurmatu following Sunday’s clashes in the town.
On Sunday, a truce was declared between Peshmerga and Hashd al-Shaabi in Khurmatu following the 20-hour clash between the sides.
In an announcement released on Monday, the Peshmerga Ministry explained the source of conflicts, stating that some “riot militants,” who aimed to create issues and tensions between the various ethnic groups of Khurmatu, joined Hashd al-Shaabi militants and triggered the clashes.
The incident began after a Hashd al-Shaabi militiaman threw a grenade at a Peshmerga house in the town on Sunday evening, according to a Kurdistan24 reporter.
The statement also mentioned that the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga and Kurdish security forces have been in charge of protecting Khurmatu before and after the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.
The militants have violated the security of the town and have used civilian rooftops as shields for their actions in creating riots and instability in Khurmatu, the statement read.
“We ask our brothers in Hashd al-Shaabi to control their militants and send the rioters to court. We ask Hashd al-Shaabi to withdraw all their militants in the center of Khurmatu to implement our actual duties, which is keeping our defense line in the fight against Da’esh [IS] in the area,” read the Peshmerga ministry statement.
The statement also warns all forces that the Peshmerga Ministry will not tolerate anyone who aims to create instability in Khurmatu regardless of which group they belong to.
Khurmatu is a town located in the south of Kirkuk Province. The population consists of different ethnic and religious groups including Kurds, Shia and Sunni Turkmen, and Shia and Sunni Arabs.
Instability has risen in the town after the militia entered Khurmatu in the last months.
Reporting by Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa