Iraqi army arrests three Kurdish farmers

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi army has arrested three Kurdish farmers and a harvest driver in the village of Palkana, located in the Sargaran subdistrict, west of Kirkuk.

The driver told Kurdistan 24 that the Iraqi army arrested him for no particular reason, while he was driving home. 

Mohammed Ali Rahman, brother to one of the farmers who had been arrested, told Kurdistan 24 that his brother was arrested on the order of the Iraqi army's fourth battalion commander, Lieutenant Mohammed.

“The Iraqi army is looking for excuses and harassing us,” he said.

“The harvest time is approaching and we fear that they may burn the fields, he added.

Earlier, Mohammed Ismail, a representative of the farmers, told Kurdistan 24 that the Iraqi army had officially warned all Kurdish farmers who work in agriculture, irrigation, or harvesting will be arrested and punished.

Ismail called on the Kurdish political leadership to act as soon as possible.