Jassem Muhammad Jaafar, a former MP from Turkmenistan, has accused Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, of inciting groups associated with him to cause trouble in Kirkuk. Jaafar says that the burning of the Iraqi flag is an attempt to ignite national unrest and civil war.
In a statement to Al-Maalouma, Jaafar accused Masoud Barzani and his party of repressing Arab and Turkmen components, imprisoning them, and destroying their homes between 2003 and 2017 in Kirkuk governorate.
According to the speaker, following the liberation of Kirkuk from ISIS and the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s control over the province’s resources in 2017, Barzani attempted to regain dominance over the region, but was unsuccessful in all his efforts. The speaker also mentioned that Barzani is now undertaking a new project to cause chaos in the province and achieve more gains from the Federal Government.
Jaafar has identified that the groups linked to Masoud were responsible for burning the Iraqi flag and inciting riots in Kirkuk on Monday. These groups were urging the framework forces and the government to not comply with any of Barzani’s demands. They also demanded that the government follow judicial rulings related to the center’s relationship with the region and appoint a governor from the central government to lead Kirkuk, which is home to people of different nationalities.
Kurdish protesters burned the Iraqi flag during yesterday’s riots in Kirkuk province, witnessed by local citizens.
