Residents of Kurdish neighborhood of Kirkuk end protest after army withdrawal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Residents of the Newroz neighborhood in Kirkuk have dismantled a protest tent that had been set up for more than two years after Iraqi army forces claiming the ownership of the land on which several Kurdish families’ homes were built withdrew from the area.

The tent had been erected in one of the neighborhood’s streets to protest the army’s take over of a number of houses that Kurdish families say they have lived in for years. The protest followed repeated attempts by the military to evict residents, most recently during pre-dawn raids earlier this week that reignited tensions in the multi-ethnic city.

On Wednesday, Fakhraddin Salih, a representative of the neighborhood, told Rudaw that the situation had significantly improved following intervention by local authorities.

“Following the events on Sunday and the governor's intervention to resolve the issue, the army has withdrawn from the neighborhood," Salih said, adding that only two houses currently "remain under police control, and a suitable solution is expected to be found for those houses as well.”

He added that negotiations led by Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha contributed to ending the crisis “after he communicated directly with the Iraqi Chief of Staff."

He added that the case is now "under the oversight of the provincial administration," hoping that the issue will be fully resolved in the future.

The dispute escalated early Sunday when Iraqi army forces raided five Kurdish homes in the southern Kirkuk neighborhood, forcibly expelling families on the grounds that the properties were built on land owned by the military. Residents reported that troops entered the area before dawn, and Rudaw had learned that only Kurdish homes were targeted.

Shawkat, one of the expelled residents, said he had briefly left his house for the pre-dawn Ramadan meal and returned to find soldiers inside. “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 that around 15 soldiers were present.

Governor Taha visited the neighborhood hours later and announced that the army would “completely” withdraw. During a press conference, he said, “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.”

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