Kirkuk Governor: Soldiers Who Attacked Kurdish Farmers were Arrested

PUKMEDIA

Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha.

Farmers in Kirkuk province's Sargaran district were reassured by the governor that he is trying to address their issues. He emphasised that he had instructed the relevant authorities to remove the military forces from the region and that the soldiers who attacked the Kurdish farmers had been taken into custody and referred to the investigation committee.

"The issue of farmers' lands is a complicated and old problem, and since we assumed our duties, we have worked hard to solve this problem," Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha clarified in response to the escalation that took place between the Iraqi military forces and the Kurdish farmers in the Shanagha village in the Sargaran area.

"The federal government is the answer to this issue," Taha continued, confirming that he has sent an official letter to the Iraqi Prime Minister  when he was in Baghdad last week to sort out the lands that do not have court decisions, so that the farmers can plough them, stressing that all the steps were towards a solution.

"The Iraqi parliament also voted to cancel the decisions of the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council, and to implement the law, we are expecting instructions from the Iraqi Government, therefore all parties must be patient so that this achievement is not lost," he added.

The governor of Kirkuk reassured the residents of Sargaran, stating: "We are in favour of solving your problem, but let us reach our goal through legal and official institutions," explaining that they have decided two weeks ago to complete contracts for all agricultural lands in the areas of Topzawa, Yayji and Turklan, which have had problems for 7 years, and that they also took steps in the Sargaran area.

The Kirkuk governor confirmed that "the soldiers who attacked the Kurdish farmers in the village of Shanagha today were arrested and referred to the investigative committee.

"We directed the relevant authorities to withdraw the military forces from the area," he said. 

Taha also confirmed that after they contacted the Prime Minister and informed him of the situation, he decided to send a committee led by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice to assess the situation, and that they will meet with them tomorrow, reassuring the farmers of Sargaran that patience and restraint is in the interest of resolving their problem.

The Iraqi military forces in the Shanagha village of the Sargaran district, Kirkuk province, violated the law passed by the Iraqi Parliament and the decision of the Iraqi Federal Court and forcibly prevented the Kurdish farmers from working in their   lands on Monday, 17 February 2025. The army attacked the Kurdish farmers.

"In addition to pulling my scarf, they beat me, so I will file a lawsuit against the force," said the farmer who was attacked on his tractor.

On 21 January 2025, the Iraqi parliament voted on the three controversial laws: Amending the personal status law, the law to cancel the decisions of the Ba'ath Revolutionary Command Council, and the general amnesty law. The law to cancel the decisions of the Ba'ath Revolutionary Command Council is very important for the Kurds, as thousands of Dunams of occupied lands in the disputed areas will be returned to their original owners. On 13 February 2025, the Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid approved the 3 laws.

Kirkuk is one of the territories disputed between the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, which are regions defined by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution as being Arabised during the fallen Ba'ath regime's rule in the country.

Kurdish farmers in these regions often face threats of losing their regained agricultural land to resettled Arabs who took their lands during the Ba'ath regime's rule.



PUKMEDIA