Iraqi army prevents Kurdish farmers access to their own land in a village of Kirkuk

“Iraqi army forces seized agricultural equipment and destroyed irrigation fields.”

Kurdistan 24 2023/01/22 18:27

Iraqi forces search the area in Tarmiyah, 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of Baghdad, following clashes with Islamic State group fighters, February 20, 2021 (Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP)

Kurdistan Kirkuk Iraqi Army Kurdish farmers

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi army raided the village of Palkana on Sunday and prevented the Kurdish farmers access to their own land, according to Kurdistan24’s correspondent Hemin Dalo.

"Palkana is surrounded by the Iraqi army," Dalo said.

Muhammed Ismail, a representative of the farmers in the Sargaran district of Kirkuk province, told Kurdistan 24 that the commander of the 31st Brigade of the Iraqi army, Hassan Hadi, came to Palkana accompanied by a military force, at the request of resettled Arabs.

“Iraqi army forces seized agricultural equipment and destroyed irrigation fields,” he added.

He also called on Kurdish leaders and Kurdish members of the Iraqi Parliament to speak out on their behalf.

Kirkuk is a majority-Kurdish city located in northern Iraq. The city is also populated by Turkmen, Arabs, and a small minority of Assyrians. It has long been a hotbed of disputes among the various ethnic communities.

On October 16, 2017, Kirkuk was occupied by Iraqi and Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which resulted in the displacement of many of its population. Before 2017, Kurdish forces controlled Kirkuk.