488
A weekly brief of events and news occurred in the disputed territories.
Kirkuk
- The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has announced that it will return to Kirkuk and take back its headquarters. In a statement, the Arab Council in Kirkuk headed by the acting governor Rakan al Jabouri called for preventing the KDP’s return and giving back its headquarters, which the Iraqi military has occupied since October 16, 2017. In response, the Kirkuk-Garmyan Organizational Bureau of the KDP said: “We assure all communities in Kirkuk that our party will return to Kirkuk and open its headquarters,” adding, “We have protected the city from ISIS in the most difficult situation. We have liberated the areas from the hands of terrorist groups. The people of Kirkuk will not allow anyone to disrupt the stability of their city.”
- After years of Kurdish objections, on February 20, the Iraqi Council of Ministers Secretariat officially informed Kirkuk’s acting governor al Jabouri to use four languages on signs of government buildings – Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen, and Syriac. Baghdad issued the memorandum after recommendations by the Committee to Monitor the Implementation of the law on official languages. The new orders will also include Kurdish and Turkmen schools’ curricula being printed in their languages and provide teachers of the two languages. Since October 16, 2017, Kirkuk’s administration banned all non-Arabic languages on government buildings as part of changing the demography of the province. Separately, the Iraqi government decided to amend the Martyrs Foundation law and extend benefits to relatives of the fallen Peshmerga and security professionals from the Kurdistan Region in the disputed territories. Thousands of Kurdish security forces were killed and wounded in the fight against Da’esh from 2014 to 2017. However, the Iraqi government rejected including them to receive benefits until last week after pressure from Kurdish parties in the cabinet.
- On February 26, a case of corruption was uncovered concerning the number of patients at the Kirkuk General Hospital. The Integrity Commission stated that investigations revealed the actual number of patients in Kirkuk’s General Hospital is at odds with official filings. Fake names of patients were listed to increase the food bill in the hospital, wasting public resources. As a result, the current and former heads of rehabilitation at Kirkuk General Hospital have been arrested.
- After recent attacks by Da’esh terrorists, a senior security delegation arrived in Kirkuk and held several meetings. The delegation included Brigadier General Abdul Amir Yaralla, chief of staff and commander of the Iraqi army. Since the removal of the Kurdish forces by Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces have struggled to secure the province.
- According to February’s State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) statistics, Kirkuk exported 2,834,393 barrels via the Cihan Pipeline, grossing $220,799,214, averaging $77.9 per barrel. Meanwhile, Jordan exported 280,769 barrels, earning $18,668,330 at an average price of $66.49 per barrel. SOMO also announced the leakage of 4,823 barrels of oil from the ceilings of North Oil Company tanks in Cihan port due to the earthquake.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- On March 1, a Turkish drone struck a vehicle of a commander of the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) named Sherzad Qirani. The attack occurred at noon in the center of the Shingal district, resulting in the death of Qirani and a guard accompanying him.