Shafaq News / Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, condemned the issuance of a provincial order suspending the handover procedures of the Joint Operations Headquarters to the Democratic Party in Kirkuk as a "farce."
Documents unveiled by the Shafaq News Agency reveal that the Federal Supreme Court has issued a provincial order halting the transfer of the Joint Operations Headquarters to the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Kirkuk until the lawsuit is resolved.
Meanwhile, the Kirkuk administration has called on those affected by the events to file their complaints at the Rahimawa Police Center to ensure proper compensation.
For days now, scores of protesters, aligned with various "Arab and Turkmen" political factions in Kirkuk, have blocked the main road connecting the province to Erbil. Their protest stems from the Kurdistan Democratic Party's intention to reopen its offices in Kirkuk in accordance with the political agreement made with the State Administration Coalition, which comprises the forces and political entities that formed the current federal government under the leadership of Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
Yesterday evening, Kirkuk witnessed the descent of dozens of Kurdish protesters in areas predominantly inhabited by members of the Kurdish ethnic group. They demanded the reopening of the road and the cessation of sit-ins outside the aforementioned headquarters. Regrettably, their demands were met with gunfire, resulting in casualties and injuries.
In light of the tensions accompanying the protests in Kurdish areas, Iraqi security authorities have imposed a curfew in Kirkuk province.