KIRKUK - Angry Kurdish protesters set fire to government buildings and the homes of security officials in the district of Dubis in Iraq’s multi-ethnic Kirkuk province, calling for the police chief and mayor to be sacked following the latest attack on a police checkpoint.
"All the officials know who is a terrorist and who is not, but they are afraid to speak up because they are being bribed and receive phone threats,” said a Dubis resident, who lashed out against the security officials in Dubis.
The trouble began after a suicide car bomber attacked a police checkpoint in Dubis, killing seven and wounding 11, including policemen.
Dubis, a mixed Arab and Kurdish town 35 kilometers northwest of the city of Kirkuk, is part of the vast tracts of disputed territories that are claimed by both the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the north and the federal government in Baghdad.
Relatives of victims from the latest suicide bombing marched to the home of a judge, setting it on fire to protest the release of several suspects accused in earlier bombings.
"People are fed up and rose against them (the local administration). They (the protestors) set fire to the court and the home of the judge," the Dubis resident added.
The protesters demanded immediate replacement of the local officials, including the mayor and police chief, and deployment of the Kurdish Peshmarga forces for security.
Meanwhile Omar Jiburi, head of the Arabic Front for Rescuing Kirkuk, warned of systematic efforts to deport Arabs from Kirkuk, and demanded intervention by the federal government to stop such attempts.
“In light of the recent security fallouts that took place in the district of Dubis, we warn strongly about the use of false pretexts to target Arabs in the town and create justifications for deporting them,” he said in a statement.
He demanded that federal authorities immediately intervene to stop the “brutal and criminal behavior that operates behind gangsters for political and partisan goals," implicitly referring to Kurdish parties.
Jiburi is widely considered an anti-Kurdish Arab politician in Kirkuk, known for his inflammatory rhetoric against the Kurdish forces in the province.
In response to the demands of the protestors, the head of Kirkuk districts police, Brigadier Sarhad Qadir, said that several demands have been fulfilled, but others would require the intervention of senior government departments.
“The necessary things have been done. We have replaced the police chief and the head of the anti-criminal police, but we can’t replace the brigadier of the Iraqi army in the area,” said Qadir.
Protesters vowed not to leave the streets until their demands are met, saying a 48-hour deadline has been given to the government to fully respond to them.
"We will never abandon the streets and would not let any force enter Dubis, because this is not the first or second time that we are given promises that were not fulfilled,” said another protester.
The protesters also attacked the house of an Iraqi officer, accusing him of collaborating with the insurgent groups, while vowing to go house to house after others who are suspected of aiding militants in the area.
As Iraq approaches legislative elections on April 30, many observers have warned of an upsurge in violence, due to election campaigns based on ethnic and sectarian lines, and the government’s inability to provide adequate security.
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