Iraqi court stops handing over building in Kirkuk to KDP
Kurdish residents of Kirkuk amassed in protest against the blockade on the highway on September 2, 2023. Photo: Rudaw News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court suspended the decision to hand over the Joint Operations Command building in Kirkuk to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
A statement issued by the court on Sunday mentioned that it had decided not to hand over the headquarters to the KDP.
The court said that it decided to stop Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s decision to evacuate the headquarters of the Joint Operations Command in Kirkuk, adding that the court’s decision is final and binding on all officials.
Four people were killed and 15 others were injured during clashes that followed protests organized by a group of supporters of the KDP demanding the road between the cities of Erbil and Kirkuk be opened, which was closed by a group that opposed handing over the Joint Operations Command building under the control of the Iraqi army to the party.
The Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) were deployed in bases vacated by the Iraqi army in Kirkuk governorate following the emergence of the terrorist organization ISIS in 2014.
Security forces of the federal government entered Kirkuk again on October 16, 2017, after the authorities in Erbil organized a referendum in September 2017 to annex Kirkuk to the region.
After the Iraqi forces entered Kirkuk, the army evacuated the KDP’s building and turned it into the headquarters of the Kirkuk Operations Command.
Since August 25, protests have continued against preparations to evacuate the building following a decision issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister to hand it over to the KDP.