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Iraq's disputed Khanaqin city council
demands Kurdish Peshmarga forces protection
26.7.2012 |
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Diyala province, a restive part of Iraq outside the
Kurdish autonomous region of Kurdistan but home to
many Kurds. The Diyala district, which includes a
string of villages and some of Iraq's oil reserves,
is home to about 175,000 Kurds, most of them
Shiites. Photo: AFP/Ekurd.net
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July 26, 2012
KHANAQIN, Diyala province, — Khanaqin
local council members unanimously demand Peshmarga
(Kurdistan border guards) to advance in order to
protect the lives of citizens in the area, council
chairman said.
In the meeting today the council members discussed
the "weakness" of the security forces in protecting
the civilians, said Samir Mohammed.
Mohammed added all the members of the council who
represent the entire components of the city decided
to call on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
to expedite force into Saadiya and Jalawla
districts.
He continued the step will also set the stage for
the displaced Kurds to return to their homes after
they left under threats.
Reports suggest that more and more Kurds from
Saadiya and Jalawla are forced to leave their homes
behind under threats.
Kurds also fall prey for insurgent attacks more than
other ethnic groups in these districts whose
ownership is disputed between KRG and Baghdad.
Currently Iraqi forces jointly with a relatively
small Kurdish force protect the disputed areas.
Diyala province, a restive part of Iraq outside the Kurdish
autonomous region of Kurdistan but home to many Kurds. The Diyala district,www.ekurd.net
which includes a string of villages and
some of Iraq's oil reserves, is home to about 175,000 Kurds, most of them
Shiites.
In June 2006, the local council of Khanaqin proposed that the district be
integrated into the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
During the Arabisation policy of Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, a large number of
Kurdish Shiites were displaced by force from Khanaqin. They started returning
after the fall of Saddam in 2003.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is related to the normalization of the
situation in Kirkuk city and other disputed areas like Khanaqin.
Kurdistan's government says oil-rich Khanaqin should be part of its
semi-autonomous region, which it hopes to expand in a referendum in the future.
In the meantime, Khanaqin and other so-called disputed areas remain targets of
Sunni Arab insurgents opposed to Kurdish expansion and vowing to hold onto land
seized during ex-dictator Saddam Hussein's efforts to "Arabize" the region.
AK news part of this report by Bryar Mohammed
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