PUK member survives assassination attempt in Tuz Khurmatu

The Kurdish lawmaker was present at the PUK Hamrin Headquarters during the attack, as confirmed by Kurdistan 24.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/08/11 14:12

PUK member Mala Karim Shukr (Photo: private)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Mala Karim Shukr, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the Iraqi parliament, survived an assassination attempt in Tuz Khurmatu on Thursday.

The Kurdish lawmaker was present at the PUK Hamrin Headquarters during the attack, as confirmed by Kurdistan 24.

A source has claimed that there was an attempt by a group in Khurmatu to establish a Kurdish Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) group. "That's why today a group attempted to terrorize him at the PUK headquarters."

"We want to assure the citizens that Comrade Mala Karim is alive and has survived the terrorist attack in Hamrin center," said Mala Karim's office in a statement.

There were earlier reports that the PMF will restructure a 150-member Kurdish faction within Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and deploy it in northwestern Kirkuk Province in the near future.

“It is beginning to build Kurdish Hashid, so it would be a door for the Kurdish youth to be enlisted in the force,” Adham Jum’a, a founding member of the force, has told Kurdistan 24.

The unit will be stationed in the Chakhmakha village in Dibis District in northwestern Kirkuk.

Moreover, there have been attempts by the PMF to recruit PUK members in the disputed territories.

After Oct. 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces and the Shia Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), with Iranian support captured Kirkuk province and other contested areas, including Tuz Khurmatu, numerous Kurdish officials were ousted from their positions.

Tuz Khurmatu, a town known for its diverse population, has a historical association with the Kurds, although Turkmen have declared antiquated, indigenous ties to the town.

This disputed city is situated at the junction of the northern Salahadin Province and southern Kirkuk and has, on several occasions, experienced ethnic tensions between Kurds and Turkmen.