Statement by Presidency of Kurdistan Parliament on Kirkuk explosions

31st May 2019 - The Presidency of the Kurdistan Parliament condemns the explosions in Kirkuk carried out on the night of 30th May, calls for all the ethnicities of Kirkuk to be included in the security of the city, and calls for coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army. The Presidency issued the following statement:

We are saddened and deeply concerned by the terrorist attacks carried out on the night of Thursday, 30th May in Kirkuk. We condemn in the strongest terms this atrocity against the civilians of the city. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, may they rest in peace. We hope for the speedy recovery of those who were injured in the attacks.

As all are well aware, after the events of 16th October 2017, the security situation in Kirkuk and its surroundings areas has continued to deteriorate. The city administration and security forces have not been capable of maintaining stability and security in the city or preventing the re-emergence of ISIS terrorists. The terrorist attacks and the acts of arsen of against Kurdish farmers by setting fire to their grain and wheat crops, the process of Arabization, the failure to implement Article 140 and to normalize Kirkuk, continue to create further instability. We the Kurdistan Parliament are deeply concerned and we ask the Government of Iraq to meet its legal and constitutional responsibilities to prevent these grave abuses of people’s rights. We also call on the participation of all the ethnicities in Kirkuk in governing the city, especially in its security, and we call for coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Forces to protect people’s property and bring security and stability to Kirkuk.

Presidency of the Kurdistan Parliament

31st May 2019