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A weekly brief of events and news occurred in the disputed territories.
Kirkuk
- On December 3, Turkish-backed lawmakers and parties in the Turkmen Front held a press conference, rejecting the reactivation of article 140 of the constitution, which normalizes the demographic changes in the Kurdish areas done by the former Iraqi regime. The leader of the Turkmen Front, Hassan Turan, threatened the Iraqi government of paying “a heavy price,” advising them to “not ignore the Turkmen.” Turan’s warnings to the Iraqi government have yet to receive any reaction. Baghdad revived the committee in charge of implementing the constitutional article that was ignored for several years. In response to the Turkmen Front threats, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Disputed Territories Committee, Fahmi Burhan, said the Kurdish leaders and parties are “not after” the share of other components but to “return” what is taken from the Kurds. “Many Kurdish posts have been taken away for various reasons, and we hope that the al Sudani’s government can solve it,” calling for dialogue among Kirkuk’s ethnicities.
- On December 6, dozens of Arab settlers attacked Kurdish farmers near Daquq, wounding two people. The Kurdish farmers attempted to prevent the settlers from plowing their lands, but they faced physical assault. The victims accused the Iraqi army of taking the settlers’ side. Thousands of acres of Kurdish owned farmlands remain under the control of settlers contracted to them by the former Iraqi regime.
- The United Nations Investigative Team for the Promotion of Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh (UNITAD) released a new report confirming ISIS’s (Da’esh) use of chemical weapons during its attacks on Kirkuk between 2014-2017. The report lays out the suffering of civilians and victims from the effects, including chronic diseases, cancer, and childbirth problems. Da’esh terrorists filled chemicals into rockets and fired on the Taza subdistrict in 2016.
Makhmour
- On December 4, Turkish drones struck the Makhmour Camp, holding Kurdish refugees from Turkey. No casualties have been reported. Turkish drones were hovering over the area for several days before the bombardment. Separately, Da’esh terrorists clashed with the Iraqi army near the Qalata Soran village for hours before they withdrew to the mountain Makhmour, the de facto headquarters of the terrorist organization.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- The new Iraqi government lifted the security check process in Sinjar and the Sunni areas, easing the return of the refugees. The Sunni parties demanded the process to end to join the new cabinet since a sizable Sunni population could not return to their homes after the liberation of their towns due to security restrictions. Khudeda Chuki, acting Mayor of the Shingal district, confirmed that the decision has been implemented, which will “facilitate the return of displaced Yazidis.”