Shiite militias protest KDP return to Kirkuk for second day

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Members of the Shiite militias and a Turkomen party continued protesting the resumption of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) functions in Kirkuk province for the second day in a row.

Beginning on Sunday overnight, the members of the Shiite forces have erected tents in front of what used to be the KDP Kirkuk headquarters in the province, protesting the handover of the building to the Kurdish party after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani had notified the forces to leave the facilities.

The protestors are now calling to prevent the party from resuming its functions in the province, where it had ceased all operations since Oct. 2017 in protest of the military takeover of the oil-rich province by the Iranian-backed Shiite militia forces and military.

The main Kirkuk-Erbil Road has been completely blocked for the past two days, hampering the traffic of civilians, a Kurdistan 24 correspondent on the site reported. Heavy security presence can be detected in the area. 

The protests come as Iraqi and Kurdish parties are preparing to take part in the Dec. 18 provincial council elections later this year. The KDP is participating in the elections.

Although no decision has been made for the return of Kurdish Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk, one protesting banner reads, "All the Arab and Turkomen tribes reject the return of KDP Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk."

The party’s main headquarters, which used to serve as its Kirkuk leadership office, is currently used by the Kirkuk Joint Operations Command center. It was previously the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Services headquarters after 2017 for a brief period.

The Iraqi Turkmen Front and Arabic Coalition headed by Rakan al-Jabouri, who has been acting as Kirkuk governor since 2017, have publicly opposed the KDP’s return to the oil-rich province. 

The party has not officially commented on the handover decision by the Iraqi premier, waiting for “practical steps” to be taken, Kurdistan 24 has learned from its officials. Similar attempts previously have been futile, they say.

Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 Kirkuk reporters Hemin Dalo & Soran Kamaran