Iraqi Turkmen concerned over Peshmerga's Kirkuk return

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - The return of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to Iraq's oil-rich Kirkuk city and to the disputed regions would cause "irreversible problems", the leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) said Thursday.

"The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan asked the UN to establish a joint operations center with the Iraqi security forces to facilitate the return of Peshmerga to Kirkuk," Arshad Salihi told Anadolu Agency.

"As Iraqi Turkmen and Iraqi Turkmen Front, we are warning all national, regional and global parties. The security weakness that would emerge [after Peshmerga's return] will prepare the ground for terrorist activities, especially of PKK and Daesh, which would put the security of Turkmen at risk," he added.

The Turkmen leader said that the fate of the region could not be "left to the initiative of a single group", calling on the Baghdad administration to avoid making Kirkuk and Turkmen areas "a political bargaining chip".

Salihi also called on Turkish officials to be "sensitive" on this issue in their talks with Iraqi counterparts.

"If the Turkmen are not safe Iraq is not safe. Turkmen are the backbone of Iraq," he said.