Kirkuk trenches not for dividing Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Karim rejected rumors that the trenches dug in Kirkuk were for the partition of Iraq, but instead are meant to protect the province from the Islamic State (IS) attacks.

On Tuesday, Kirkuk Province press office released a statement where Karim stated that the trenches dug around the province are meant to create a security belt, stretching from the western and southern parts of the province, as a shield against the IS insurgents.

Recently, some Iraqi officials in Kirkuk and Baghdad have accused Kurdish officials of attempting to divide Kirkuk from the west and south parts of Iraq by digging long, wide trenches. Iraqi officials believe that the Kurds are trying to claim Kirkuk before declaring independence from Iraq in the future.

Karim rejected the rumors and said, “If there weren’t Peshmerga forces on the Kirkuk border, the owners of those voices [rumors] wouldn’t have been able to freely talk and live in the province now.”

“The security forces of Kirkuk have dug trenches to use as a barrier against Daesh [IS] attacks and strengthen Kirkuk security,” Karim said, acknowledging that even other Iraqi security forces have dug trenches to prevent IS insurgents ‘sneaking’ in the area.

The statement also explains that the trenches are not meant to “draw the border of the Kurdish independent state,” but rather to strengthen the security of Kirkuk.

Kirkuk has been one of the disputed territories located in the south-east of the Kurdistan Region. The administration and security of the province were under the control of the Federal Government of Iraq until June 2014. After the emergence of IS, the security abandoned the area. Since then, Peshmerga forces took the responsibility to protect the province from IS attacks.