Amid Renewed Arabization Push, a Kirkuk Village Says It Is Under Siege
Kurdish residents of Alagher village in Kirkuk face intense Arabization and siege, with only three families remaining to defend their ancestral land.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a harrowing escalation of demographic change policies reminiscent of past eras, the remote Kurdish village of Alagher in the Kirkuk governorate is currently facing an intense and systematic campaign of Arabization and occupation, threatening to erase the Kurdish presence from the area entirely. The village, historically inhabited solely by Kurds, has become the focal point of a tense standoff as imported Arabs, backed by a significant security presence, have begun forcibly altering the landscape by plowing agricultural lands and demolishing Kurdish homes.
The situation has reached a critical breaking point, with local residents warning that their ancestral lands are being seized through a combination of military pressure and administrative manipulation.
The plight of Alagher is painted against a backdrop of severe security imposition. According to reports from the ground, the surroundings of the village are currently besieged by six separate checkpoints manned by the Iraqi army and the Hashd al-Shaabi militias.
This militarization has encroached directly into the community's infrastructure, with a regiment of the Iraqi army now stationed inside the village's school, effectively transforming a center of education into a military outpost.
Residents point out that it is under the watchful eyes of these very forces that imported Arabs are utilizing tractors to plow through Kurdish farmlands and demolish the walls of abandoned houses, actions that the locals characterize as a blatant effort to occupy the territory.
The demographic impact of these pressures, combined with the lingering dangers of ISIS and the fallout from the events of October 16, has been devastating for Alagher. The village, which once boasted 70 households, has seen its population plummet, leaving only three families remaining.
These few survivors describe themselves as the last line of defense for their land and homeland, refusing to abandon their property despite the overwhelming odds. The drastic reduction in population has left the village vulnerable, creating a vacuum that is now being aggressively filled by settlers from outside the region.
The conflict on the ground is being compounded by a complex and contentious legal dispute regarding land use rights. On Tuesday, a resident of Alagher spoke to Kurdistan24, shedding light on the bureaucratic machinations enabling the takeover.
The citizen revealed that the Department of Agriculture is renewing agricultural contracts for imported Arabs without the knowledge or consent of the Kurdish landowners.
This administrative action is allegedly proceeding despite a decision by the Minister of Justice to annul such contracts. Locals argue that these renewed contracts are being used as a legal pretext to justify the occupation of the lands and the physical destruction of the village infrastructure.
The emotional toll on the remaining residents is profound. One elderly woman, who has steadfastly refused to leave despite harassment, shared her defiant testimony. She recounted how imported Arabs have demanded her departure, telling her, "You are an old woman, get out of here."
Her response, however, remains unyielding. She emphasized that the land is her birthplace, cultivated over decades with "tears, water, and hardship." She declared that it is impossible for her to leave unless death separates her from the land.
She further noted that while the settlers claim the lands are their property, the Kurdish population in the area has been facing waves of expulsion and oppression dating back to 1963, framing the current crisis as a continuation of historical injustices.
Another resident, who previously stood guard alongside the Peshmerga to protect the village before the security landscape shifted, spoke of the immense pressures being placed on them to evacuate. The residents of Alagher are now issuing an urgent appeal to the government and relevant political parties to intervene immediately.
They warn that the ultimate goal of the imported Arabs is to completely seize their land, houses, and property, thereby erasing the historical traces of the Kurds in the area. Without urgent action to enforce the Ministry of Justice's decisions and halt the demolitions, the remaining families fear that Alagher will soon be lost forever.
