On Friday, Rasoul Radi of the State of Law coalition confirmed that the government’s decision to not withdraw security forces from the joint operations headquarters in Kirkuk prevented the Democratic Party from taking control. This headquarters is essential for the federal government’s decision-making within the province.
Radi informed Al-Maalouma that necessary steps have been taken to organize provincial council elections, particularly in Kirkuk Governorate, despite the challenges posed by the Kurdish population in the area. He further stated that the Kurdish efforts to gain control over the operations headquarters in Kirkuk have been unsuccessful. The operations headquarters serves as the primary location for the federal government in Kirkuk, and all orders, particularly those related to security, are executed through it.
According to him, there were disagreements over the plan to vacate the aforementioned location and hand it over to the Democratic Party and Peshmerga forces. As a result, the government withdrew security forces from the headquarters and kept them inside to maintain control and prevent the transfer.
