Threatening ‘Blood Wanted’ slogans mark Kurdish homes in Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Masked gunmen directly threatened a number of Kurdish families in Kirkuk Province, marking their houses with the slogan “Blood Wanted” late at night, according to a family on Monday.

Kurdish families and individuals in the multi-ethnic province of Kirkuk continue to face direct threats following the Oct. 16 takeover of the disputed territory by Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias.

A masked group of gunmen threatened Kurdish families in Kirkuk, writing menacing slogans on their walls overnight.

“It was 1:30 am late at night. Two military Humvees with the Iraqi flag stopped in front of a house. There were six masked gunmen in the vehicle,” M. A., a resident of Shoraw neighborhood in Kirkuk without wishing to reveal his name, told Kurdistan 24 on Monday.

“The gunmen were dressed in black. Their identities are unknown. They checked the house and then wrote ‘Blood Wanted’ on the wall,” he said, stating the slogan represents a death threat.

Shoraw is a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood located in the north of Kirkuk city. Other Kurdish residents in the city have also reported similar slogans appearing on their houses.

Below is photographic evidence of one of the vandalized houses in Kirkuk sent to Kurdistan 24 by people in the city. The house belongs to a Kurdish family who fled to Erbil following the Oct. 16 military attack and takeover of the province.

“We don’t know who is behind such threats, but intimidating Kurdish residents will not be tolerated,” Khattab Omar, the Director of Police in Kirkuk told Kurdistan 24.

He also mentioned that in the coming days, there would be a meeting with the Iraqi forces in the city to discuss the incidents. “There should be cooperation, and we will try to resolve these issues.”

Following the Oct. 16, over 180,000 people from Kirkuk province and other disputed territories fled to the Kurdistan Region cities, fearing abuses and human rights violations at the hands of the Iraqi forces and Shia militias.

Two months after the takeover, most of the displaced people remain in the Kurdistan Region, refusing to return to their homes in Kirkuk.

“How can I return to my house in Kirkuk while my relatives in the city continue to be insulted and receive death threats from Shia militias?” a displaced Kirkuk resident told Kurdistan 24. He stressed that people would only return with dignity and honor, not to be insulted or threatened in their own homeland.

The oil-rich Kirkuk is a diverse province made up of Turkmen, Arabs, and Christians, with a Kurdish majority. The province was one of the disputed territories that participated the Sep. 25 referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region, which saw an overwhelming majority vote in favor of statehood.

Editing by Nadia Riva

(Soran Kamaran contributed to this report)