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Kirkuk
- ISIS (Da’esh) terrorists renewed attacks on the Laheban villages a day after an official visit by the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi to the area. The attacks occurred on two fronts targeting Iraqi army elements stationed there. The clashes did not result in casualties on the Iraqi side, and the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced the arrested of a senior Da’esh leader on the same night. Furthermore, meetings to discuss further cooperation between the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, occurred on December 11th between the commander of Kirkuk operations, Ali al Feriji and Deputy Minister of the Peshmerga forces, general Jabar Yawer in Erbil. According to a statement released after the meeting, both sides discussed filling the security vacuum in the disputed territories. Separately, after residents of several villages in the Hawija district abandoned their homes due to Da’esh threats, general al Feriji held a press conference on Tuesday calling for the residents to return to homes and vowing “protection by the security forces.”
- Kirkuk police announced the arrest of 60 street beggars on Tuesday, December 11th. According to the police, the detainees included 23 women and 37 children ranging from 6 to 12 years old. The police said they have intelligence reports of Da’esh terrorists using the beggars to conduct surveillance of the security forces.
- On Wednesday, nearly 300 college graduates protested in front of the education department, demanding jobs. The demonstrators accused the education department of an “unfair hiring process” over the past three years. They called for implementing a new decree by the council of ministers which allow graduates to work as temporary contractors.
- Kirkuk’s court of appeals annulled prison sentences after corruption charges against several officials in the governorates, relatives of the acting governor Rakan Saed al Jabouri. The court returned the cases to the court for “retrials.” The four defendants, included acting governor’s brother, Ali Saeed al-Jaburi in addition to Ibrahim al-Jabouri, Qassim Ibrahim, Khalid Naif, and Ryad Ahmed, who were sentenced to nine months in prison for corruption charges, based on an official complaint by Kirkuk’s Integrity Commission.
- On Tuesday, December 14th, some Kurdish parties, held a joint meeting and called for “a joint administration, and appointing a new governor” based on “election” in the province. The group also called for the Peshmerga forces to take part in the security file in the province. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) lawmaker, Shakhwan Abdullah, criticized the meeting and said the closing statement by the group “did not include a single line about the Arabization process Kurds face in the province. The KDP did not participate in the meeting.
- In a press conference, the head of the Kirkuk Court, Judge Qassem Muhammad Salman, said, terror cases were the most common crime in the province, followed by corruption and narcotics use.
Tuz Khurmatu
- Peshmerga forces found a stolen truck during search for terror hideouts between Kifri and Tuz Khurmatu. The vehicle was stolen two years ago from two siblings who were kidnapped by Da’esh terrorists and later released for a $90,000 ransom. On Monday, December 13th, Da’esh terrorists kidnapped four fishermen, including an off duty military officer, near the Hamrin dam.
- A television program hosted by a female anchor revealed a senior Da’esh leader, responsible for atrocities against the Yazidi, named Faisal Mohseen Mora’i in Sanqor village of Tuz Khurmatu. The terrorist asked the host, Manar Yahya, whether she was married or not, adding that she would “warm” him, directly proposing to her, becoming one of the most-watched episodes in the country. Later, the intelligence agency arrested him and revealed that he was one of the most dangerous terrorists. They claimed Mora’i had been hiding in a village and disguising as a shepherd.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- One December 12th, the “self-administration” of Shingal imposed a general boycott for the public service departments for one week in response to the “silence” from the Iraqi federal government in the light of repeated Turkish airstrikes in the area. The Shingal self-administration is backed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey uses as a pretext to launch attacks on Shingal. The general strike was followed by a protest by locals in the Snuny district, resulting in two people being injuried after Iraqi forces opened fire on the protestors. An Iraqi soldier was also injured following the tensions with protestors.