Iraq's Turkmen concerned over PKK presence in Kirkuk

By Ali Makram Ghareeb

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) - Iraqi Turkmen political figures on Monday expressed concerns over PKK imagery on display in the city of Kirkuk.

Portraits of the terror group’s leader Abdullah Ocalan -- jailed in Turkey -- and PKK banners can be seen in the center of the northern Iraqi city.

Kirkuk’s population is mainly composed of Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish inhabitants.

The head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Arshad al-Salehi, told Anadolu Agency that directing terrorist organizations towards districts inhabited by Turkmen was "a conspiracy ... against their [Turkmen] areas".

“The concentration of PKK in Tuz Khurmatu and Daqoq at first and then in Kirkuk under the pretext of being a civil society organization, poses great concern for Iraq’s Turkmen component,” he said, adding: “The PKK is active in central Kirkuk with the full knowledge of Kirkuk’s governor, Najmuddin Karim.”

Salehi went on to note: "Iraq is waiting for a new threat after Daesh since it the PKK was allowed to station [itself] in certain areas of Iraq, particularly Kirkuk, with the full knowledge of the Baghdad government."

Head of the Turkmeneli Party, Riyad Sari Kahya, expressed deep concern over the presence of the PKK in Kirkuk, saying the organization “has been involved in long-term bloodshed, responsible for eliminating thousands of people”.

"Such organizations cannot be concentrated in our regions without the support of certain parties," he said.

Sari Kahya said these parties were “hostile to Turks in general and to the Turkmen people, as they are part of the Turkish nation”.