The leader of the Turkmen Front, Istabraq Yazaroglo, said on Iraqi Armed Forces Day that residents may object to the presence of forces belonging to the central government or the Kurdish Peshmerga. Therefore, a locally raised force is the best option, he argued.
Kirkuk Provincial Council member Ahmad Askari, representing the Brotherhood List, said that Kurds have the Peshmerga and, as a result, they feel that there is no need for a new structure.
Kirkuk was controlled by Kurdish forces until they were pushed out by the Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary units following the independence referendum last year. Since then Kurdish parties have advocated for the return of the Peshmerga in some capacity, NRT reported.
Ethnic Arabs, on the other hand, have said that they favor units integrated with the central government’s command structure.
“We prefer that the security institutions in the city be unified,” said spokesman for the Kirkuk Arab Council Hatam Taii.
It is unlikely that Baghdad will acquiesce to either Turkmen or Kurdish demands, preferring to maintain control of the city through its own institutions.
Reporter's code: 50101