Kurdish farmers detained then released on bail in Kirkuk amid ongoing land disputes
Dashti Agha, one of the detainees, told Kurdistan24: "There was no reason for my arrest. We face harassment from the Iraqi army under various pretexts, and since October 16, they have been preventing us from plowing and irrigating our lands."
Nov. 24, 2024
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi army arrested two Kurdish farmers from the villages of Palkana and Shanagha on Sunday, who were subsequently released on bail after appearing for questioning at the Dibis Court on Monday.
Dashti Agha, one of the detainees, told Kurdistan24: "There was no reason for my arrest. We face harassment from the Iraqi army under various pretexts, and since October 16, they have been preventing us from plowing and irrigating our lands."
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"Often when a new officer is transferred here, the Bedouins encourage them to target Kurdish farmers. They come to harass us, as happened yesterday," he added.
Agha called on the Governor of Kirkuk to resolve these issues, noting that the problems stem from the lack of land allocation for Arab settlers in the region.
"They asked me to sign a pledge for my release, but I refused to sign any undertaking because I am a native citizen of this area," he stated.
The Kirkuk province, particularly the Dibis district, has long been a focal point of territorial disputes and demographic tensions. The area has witnessed various waves of demographic changes, especially during the previous regime's Arabization campaigns.
Following the events of Oct. 16, 2017, when federal forces took control of Kirkuk from Kurdish forces, tensions have periodically flared over land ownership and farming rights between local Kurdish residents and Arab settlers in the region.
These recent arrests highlight the ongoing challenges faced by Kurdish farmers in maintaining access to their traditional agricultural lands.
