President Barzani praises Kirkuk people for assisting security forces

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani on Saturday released a statement on the Islamic State (IS) attack in Kirkuk, praising the role of civilians in the city for helping security forces.

President Barzani thanked the bravery and assistance of the people of Kirkuk for helping security forces in the province combat IS.

Moreover, the President expressed his condolences to the families of the ‘martyred’ people and hoped for a speedy recovery for the injured ones.

President Barzani stated that IS militants wanted to avenge their defeats in the fight against Peshmerga forces.

“I assure all the people of Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region that we will stand against terrorists and defeat their attacks with the support of God, strong morale, united Peshmerga, and sincerity of people in the region,” the statement read.

Additionally, President Barzani mentioned right after the IS attack on Friday morning he had instructed the Vice President of the Region Kosrat Rasul, Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Karim, and security officers to stabilize the situation.

He also advised the security plan of the province were reviewed to protect the people of the area from future terrorist assaults.

“Kirkuk won’t fall into the hands of enemies,” President Barzani concluded.

On Friday morning, IS militants attacked Kirkuk and temporarily controlled several buildings in the province.

Later, Peshmerga and security forces secured the area and chased after the jihadists, killing over 30 militants.

According to Rasul, about 120 IS militants had entered Kirkuk.

Peshmerga and Kirkuk security officers believe the militants sneaked into Kirkuk with the flow of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from outside of the province.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany