Kirkuk Governor Announces Return of Evicted Families After Iraqi Army Withdrawal

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Kirkuk Governor Dr. Rebwar Taha announced Sunday that Iraqi Army units have withdrawn from the Newroz neighborhood of Kirkuk following early-morning raids on Kurdish homes, stating that the administration of the disputed properties will now fall under the supervision of the Kirkuk Provincial Administration.

The announcement came after tensions erupted in the neighborhood during the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, when Iraqi Army forces entered several homes and forcibly evicted Kurdish residents. The incidents prompted confrontations between residents and security forces and led to direct intervention by the governor.

Speaking to journalists after visiting the neighborhood and meeting with residents and military commanders, Taha said the houses in question are state property.

“These houses are state property and do not belong to any [private] individual. The people here moved into these houses after the liberation process [of 2003]. For several days, some army officers had been approaching the houses and had evicted one family,” he said.

He added that the situation had now been resolved through coordination with senior military officials.

“We have now come and have both returned that family to their home and reclaimed the other houses. From now on, all of them are considered property of the Kirkuk Provincial Administration, and we, as the governorate, will supervise them,” Taha stated.

According to the governor, he contacted the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army to address the issue.

“The solution is that the army will completely exit this area and will no longer remain. The homeowners will return to their houses, and the administration of the houses will be handled by us. Any officer who engaged in inappropriate behavior will be held accountable,” he said.

Earlier Sunday, residents reported that Iraqi Army units had entered the Newroz neighborhood during Suhur, the pre-dawn meal observed during Ramadan, and removed families from their homes.

Ayoub Salah, one of the homeowners, told Kurdistan24 that soldiers entered his property at approximately 2:00 AM. “At 2:00 AM during Suhur, an army force entered the courtyard of my house, locked the door with a chain and padlock, and said, ‘You must leave here,’” he said.

Salah, who is a person with special needs, said the soldiers threatened him and his family. “They were threatening us, saying you either vacate or we will arrest you. They had no permit or court order; they only wanted to evict us through the use of force,” he said.

He added that the army unit remained at the location until 8:00 AM and withdrew after residents gathered in the area.

In a separate incident in the same neighborhood, Shawkat Rasoul said Iraqi Army personnel entered his home while he was away visiting relatives for Suhur. “When I returned, I saw 10 to 12 people in my house; they said you must leave. I refused, and then they pushed and beat me to get me out,” Rasoul said.

He stated that soldiers told him the land belonged to the army and that they had an order. “I said, ‘Where is your order and document?’ They became angry and said, ‘Are you interrogating us?’ Then they attacked me in front of my family and beat me,” he said. Rasoul’s sister said soldiers attempted to take her brother inside the house and beat him before dragging him outside.

Residents in the Newroz neighborhood said Iraqi forces had also surrounded additional homes and were attempting to seize more properties. One resident told Kurdistan24 that, beyond the initial house taken early Sunday, troops were trying to assume control of three more houses.

Information from local correspondents indicated that Governor Taha entered one of the seized houses during the standoff and held discussions with an Iraqi Army officer in an effort to defuse the situation.

According to reports from the area, the Iraqi Army had identified more than 120 houses in the Newroz neighborhood as properties it intended to reclaim. Several houses had already been occupied by soldiers, and troops had been stationed inside them before the governor’s intervention.

The dispute over ownership of these homes is rooted in the complex history of property allocation in Kirkuk. During the rule of the former regime, homes in what is now known as the Newroz neighborhood were assigned to Iraqi Army officers as part of demographic policies.

Following the 2003 liberation of Iraq and the collapse of that government, many of those officers left the area. Kurdish residents, including families previously displaced, moved into the homes, and some later purchased properties through legal processes.

The issue of property ownership in Kirkuk and other Kurdistani territories outisde KRG's administrative control has remained unresolved, in part due to the incomplete implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. The article outlines a process of normalization, census, and referendum intended to determine the status of Kurdistani areas, including Kirkuk.

Since the events of October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces and affiliated units advanced into Kirkuk and other Kurdistani territories following the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Kurdish residents have reported renewed pressures related to property and land ownership.

Residents have cited repeated attempts to evict families from government-owned houses, particularly in neighborhoods where properties were previously allocated to state institutions. Allegations in recent years have also included confiscation of agricultural lands and settlement disputes, though Sunday’s developments centered specifically on residential homes in the Newroz district.

Tensions escalated further Sunday when members of the governor’s security detail confronted Iraqi Army personnel present in the neighborhood. Reports indicated that disagreements arose after the eviction of a Kurdish family and the occupation of their home. The situation remained tense until the governor’s direct involvement and subsequent announcement of the army’s withdrawal.

In his remarks, Taha emphasized that the administration of the properties would now be handled at the provincial level. He said the army would no longer maintain a presence in the area and that any misconduct would be addressed through accountability measures.

By Sunday afternoon, residents reported that families had returned to their homes following the army’s exit. The governor reiterated that the properties would remain under the oversight of the Kirkuk Provincial Administration pending further administrative procedures.

The developments mark a temporary de-escalation of tensions in the Newroz neighborhood after early-morning raids led to confrontations between residents and security forces.