Masoud Barzani promises Kurdistan Region will end Arabization in Kirkuk, Khurmatu
Senior Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani on Thursday said the Kurdistan Region would do its best to end the ongoing Arabization campaign against Kurds in Kirkuk and other disputed areas.
During a meeting with dignitaries and residents of the Sargaran area near Kirkuk, former Kurdistan Region President Barzani stressed that the Arabization policy taking place in the Kurdish-populated villages and cities was “a great injustice.”
Barzani added that the Region would “do its duty” and prevent and stop these practices from continuing.
“The people of Kurdistan are known for their tolerance and ability to coexist with all components,” he stated. “It is not reasonable to turn political problems between governments into differences between components and peoples.”
The Kurdish leader pointed out that the policy of Arabization “raises concerns about civil peace, which is aggression and injustice on components of the region,” while stressing the Kurdistan Region would “not leave the people of the [disputed areas] to their fate.”
Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu have seen widespread violations against Kurds since the military takeover of the disputed areas by the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militias in mid-October.
Over 180,000 civilians, mostly Kurdish residents, were forced to flee to the Kurdistan Region as their properties were burned and looted.
According to a statement on the Hashd al-Shaabi’s website on Thursday, at least 200 Kurdish families have returned to their homes since the placement of an elite security force by the Iraqi government to the district of Tuz Khurmatu.
Earlier this week, Iraqi President Fuad Masum told a news conference that the situation in Khurmatu was “moving toward stability” after the deployment of the new security forces in the town.
Source: Kurdistan24
