Kirkuk governor says Iraqi army to withdraw from Kurdish quarter after raids

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha said Sunday that the Iraqi army will “completely” withdraw from the disputed Newroz neighborhood after pre-dawn raids on Kurdish homes sparked outrage and renewed tensions over disputed properties in the multi-ethnic city.

Taha’s announcement came during a visit to the neighborhood on Sunday, hours after Iraqi army forces raided five Kurdish homes and forcibly expelled the families, claiming the properties were built on military-owned land.

“Under the previous administration, five families were evicted from their homes, and the Iraqi army moved into them. For several days now, a number of army officers have had their eyes on these houses and evicted one family,” Taha said during a press conference.

According to residents, troops entered the Newroz neighborhood in southern Kirkuk in the early hours of Sunday. The area is home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmens. According to Rudaw’s reporter on the ground, only Kurdish homes have been targeted so far.

Shawkat, one of the expelled residents, said he had left home for the pre-dawn meal of Ramadan and returned to find soldiers inside his house.

“When I sat in the house and refused to leave, they used force to remove me. They claim the land belongs to them and refused to show any [court] ruling [authorizing the raid],” he said, adding around 15 soldiers were present.

The governor said he personally intervened to resolve the situation and restore the family to their home. “I have come here now; I have brought the family back into the house, and the keys to the home are now in their own hands,” Taha said.

He added that an agreement had been reached with the military leadership for a full withdrawal from the neighborhood. “There are only two houses that still have pending issues, which I will resolve personally as governor,” he said.

Taha emphasized he had communicated with the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army, Abdul-Amir Rashid Yarallah, and they agreed the administration of the houses would remain under the authority of the governorate office. “The residents will return to their homes, and no army forces will remain within the Newroz neighborhood,” he said.

The dispute centers on five houses that the army considers to be its property, despite having been inhabited by Kurdish families for years. The governor acknowledged that the homes lack formal deeds and are technically classified as state property. However, he noted that people moved into them following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“We will treat them as if it were their own property. Any officer who mistreated the people will face an investigative committee,” Taha said.

A video circulating on social media appeared to show a physical altercation between army soldiers and Taha’s guards during his visit to the neighborhood.

The homes were previously inhabited by members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party. After the fall of the regime in 2003, Kurdish families displaced from Kirkuk returned and settled in the properties. Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, later issued a decree registering the properties under Iraq’s finance ministry.

A subsequent decision by a former Kirkuk provincial council allowed the families to remain in the homes until the federal government provided compensation.

The Iraqi army had previously attempted to expel Kurdish families from the same neighborhood in early 2024, seizing five houses at the time. Several Kurds who resisted were detained. The army later withdrew, and families resumed renovations before Sunday’s renewed operation.

Although the army left the neighborhood on Sunday, the broader legal dispute remains unresolved in court.