Security

Iraqi army returns to outpost in rural Kirkuk after leaving causes uproar

The Iraqi army unit left after a suspected ISIS attack left one soldier dead. A Kurdish member of the Iraqi parliament said, "after we contacted the defense minister and the operations command, the troops returned."

Kurdistan 24 2021/09/04 22:44

Iraqi soldiers meet with Nasr Harki, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, and members of the Shahali Kon community west of Kirkuk on September 4, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Iraq Iraq ISIS Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi soldiers returned to an outpost close to a rural community west of the disputed Kirkuk province on Saturday, after the area's Kurdish residents complained to officials about worsened security conditions following recent ISIS attacks.

The outpost housed an army unit from the 14th Brigades of the Nineveh Operations Command and is located close to Shahali Kon and Sebeeran in the Sargaran subdistrict, west of Kirkuk city.

A 30-man strong group of suspected ISIS members on Thursday attacked the rural community, killing at least one Iraqi soldier and wounding several villagers. They also kidnapped one local civilian whose whereabouts remain unknown.

While some residents vacated their homes as the Iraqi troops left--fearing further terrorist attacks--, many stayed behind and urged Kurdish politicians to pressure the federal government to protect the area.

Nasr Harki, a lawmaker and a member of the security and defense committee in the Iraqi parliament, visited the area as Iraqi troops returned on Saturday.

"They vacated their homes because the army left," Harki told Kurdistan 24. "After we contacted the defense minister and the operations command, the troops returned."

He also called on members of the rural community who left to come back and help the army to keep the area secure.