Kirkuk agricultural lands to be used as Iraqi military base

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish farmers in southern Kirkuk on Monday protested a decree by the agricultural authorities in Iraq to turn nearly 500 dunums of agricultural lands into a military base.

The large swath of land located in Kuli Tapa, in the southern district of Daquq, has been the subject of a decades-long battle between Kurdish and Arab farmers. The former Saddam Hussein regime had resettled Arabs to the area in an attempt to Arabize Kurdish lands.

The Daquq Directorate of Agriculture recently issued a decree to convey 500 dunams of Kurdish lands to the Ministry of Defense, to build a military base, Kurdistan 24 learned from local farmers and officials. 

According to Fahmi Habeeb, a member of the local council, “we were notified about the decision on Thursday.” If the decision is implemented, the farmers must vacate their lands.

The agricultural lands, whose ownership dates back to the Ottoman Empire, has been a contentious issue between Erbil and Baghdad for more than 50 years. 

Backed by local authorities and the Iraqi army, the resettled Arabs have routinely attacked Kurdish farmers in the province.