Kirkuk villagers urge Kurdish authorities to halt Arab settlement

PALKANA, Iraq — Kurdish residents of Kirkuk's disputed village of Palkana remain resolute in their efforts to keep their land, despite increasing pressure to make way for Arab settlers.

Residents says Kirkuk’s operations commander has warned them to either allow settlement or the issue will be resolved by force. 

With the deadline lapsed, police and other security forces have been deployed to the village.

"They want to threaten and push us to flee our forefathers’ village with the use of force," said Dler Abdullah, a resident of Palkana.

Villagers say they have banded together and have halted their daily life to protect the land.

"We have a single, united attitude. We won’t leave even if they kill our babies in their cradles," villager Sabir Omer said.

Residents of Palkana have resisted several attempts for the land's settlement in the past.

"I urge the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to intervene and help us as soon as possible. I urge America [the US] to intervene as soon as possible," added Omer. 
 
Palkana is located in Sargaran subdistrict, west of Kirkuk. 

A number of Kurdish families have already left the village due to ongoing Arabization efforts, with 11 Arab families said to have been granted land through the process. 

Land disputes between Kurds and Arabs are a recurring problem in Kirkuk province, where Kurdish farmers regularly complain of land theft and takeover. 

Palkana residents’ representatives met with Kurdish MPs on Sunday and handed them a detailed report of violations by Arab settlers.

The deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament has ordered the creation of a joint committee to resolve the issues of Palkana. They are expected to visit the area on Monday.

Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed