Shia militia attacks Kurds

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdish civilians in the contested city of Tuz Khurmatu are being attacked by Shia militias while Hashd al-Shaabi and Kurdish officials accuse each other of breaching previous agreements.

Faruq Abdulla used to work in his bakery in Tuz Khurmatu, but his shop has been damaged by Hashd al-Shaabi. As a result, he has decided to leave his shop and the area due to the continuous threats in his neighborhood. “The security officials in the town have told me that it is difficult to protect the city,” he explained to Kurdistan24.

“They [Shia militias] attack us with RPGs for no reason…they recently fired gun shots at my bakery; I am preparing to leave this place,” Abdulla added.

Shalal Abdul, mayor of Tuz Khurmatu, told Kurdistan24, “The ones who violate rules and create tensions are often affiliated with the Hashd al-Shaabi, but they are not the only ones who create problems in the city.”

According to an agreement between Peshmerga forces, local administration, and Hashd al-Shaabi, the Shia militia agreed to withdraw from the center of the town, and all sides decided to create a joint military force to share control.

“So far 80 percent of the agreement has been implemented,” Abdul added.

Despite this agreement, Kurdish officials stress that the Shia forces are still present in the city. “They have deployed more militiamen to the city,” Lieutenant Colonel Faruq Ahmed told Kurdistan24.

The Hashd al-Shaabi officials refused to talk to Kurdistan24, but a Shia official who chose to remain anonymous accused the Kurdistan Region forces of not implementing the agreements. “We are waiting for the Kurds to execute the previous agreements and end the tensions and instability,” he said.

On Nov. 13, 2015, intermittent clashes between Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shia Hashd Al-Shaabi militiamen erupted in Tuz Khurmatu, a multi-ethnic town of some 60,000 people, 80 kilometers southeast of Kirkuk, in Saladin Province.

Reporting by Soran Kamaran and Baxtiyar Goran                    
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa