Turkmen protest over appointment in Iraq: Municipal building stormed

The appointment of a new municipal director in the Altunköprü sub-district of Iraq's Kirkuk province has sparked reactions. Turkmen in Altunköprü took to the streets in anger, citing that the new municipal director is not from the local community and that Turkmen have been excluded from administrative positions for nearly two years.

Stating that they were kept in the dark about the handover ceremony, the protesters blocked the main Kirkuk-Erbil highway with barricades and burned tires to protest the appointment.

The protesters then marched and stormed the municipal building. The angry crowd broke the building's windows and tore down signs. The protesters argued that at least one of the positions in the municipality should be given to a Turkmen.

"WE EMPHASIZED THAT IT REQUIRES URGENT INTERVENTION"

Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) President Muhammed Seman Ağa stated in a written statement regarding the protest: "Within the framework of the peaceful protests carried out by our people, the Turkmen, in the Altunköprü sub-district, we, as the ITC and the Iraqi Turkmen Front United List, emphasize that we stand fully and resolutely behind their legitimate demands; and that we categorically reject any attempt to ignore their identity, existence, and role in governing their regions."

Reporting that these demands and developments have been conveyed to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Ağa said, "We emphasized that what is happening in Altunköprü requires urgent intervention to ensure justice and fairness, and to prevent the recurrence of the exclusionary policies to which Turkmen are subjected."

News Source: İHA