The patience of Kirkuk people won’t last forever: Governor
The Governor of Kirkuk Najmaldin Karim on Saturday stated there was a heavy load on Kirkuk due to several displaced people in the province.
KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Governor of Kirkuk Najmaldin Karim on Saturday stated there was a heavy load on Kirkuk due to several displaced people in the province.
Karim’s statement came in a press conference on the 119th anniversary of the first Kurdish printed newspaper in Cairo, Egypt, published in 1898.
The Governor highlighted the half-a-million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kirkuk Province who fled from the threat of the Islamic State (IS).
“The towns of some IDPs were liberated over two years ago, but yet they don’t return home,” he said.
The presence of the IDPs in the province has created a heavy burden on the shoulders of the people in Kirkuk.
“The people of Kirkuk have shared services with the IDPs such as water, electricity, medicines, schools, and roads,” Karim continued.
“But, the patience of Kirkuk people won’t last forever!” he added.
Following the emergence of IS in northern Iraq in June 2014, thousands of Iraqi people were displaced to different parts of the country while Kirkuk alone received about 500,000 IDPs.
The Governor also called on the Federal Government of Iraq to increase their efforts to help facilitate the return of IDPs to their areas “as soon as possible.”
Hawija, under the administration of Kirkuk, is one of the largest cities which remains in the hands of the extremist group.
Karim previously called on the Baghdad government to launch a military operation and liberate Hawija from IS, but the request has repeatedly been ignored.
“The delay of the Hawija operation is in the interest of no one,” he concluded.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany