At a Glance

• Kirkuk's council demands local police take over city security.

• Overlapping military forces have disrupted the chain of command.

• Official calls for Peshmerga assistance to fill security gaps.

The Deputy Chairman of the Kirkuk Provincial Council stated that they are monitoring the security situation of Kirkuk Province and emphasized to security officials that assistance must be requested from the Peshmerga forces to fill the security vacuum in the province. 

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Deputy Chairman Nashat Shawais told Channel8 that, “The local police of Kirkuk city must take control of the security file.”

• Shawais stressed that recent events in Pirde and Hawija demonstrate the need to handle the situation with sensitivity.

• He highlighted that, “There are far too many military formations inside Kirkuk city,” adding that this makes it impossible to determine how the chain of command works.

During an interview with Channel8, Shawais emphasized that returning security control to the local police would positively transform the situation due to their specialized expertise and familiarity with the area's situation.

The Deputy Chairman affirmed that the security forces must be changed and their numbers must be reduced.

The official noted that “the inappropriate treatment” of farmers and tradesmen at checkpoints is driven by the presence of multiple, differing security forces at these locations.

He further emphasized that there is a multiplicity of authority at the checkpoints, including National Security, Intelligence, and the Iraqi Army, which are all operating separately.

The official said the Provincial Council has officially informed the security forces that the current situation is unacceptable.

FYI

Addressing the security vacuum in Kirkuk and its periphery remains a critical, ongoing agenda item in negotiations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government.

This persistent security gap, resulting from a lack of full coordination among various forces in the disputed territories, is frequently exploited by ISIS militants to launch terrorist attacks.

Recent security incidents in Hawija and the areas east of Pirde (Altun Kupri) have highlighted critical security gaps spanning kilometers between stationed forces.

During an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service raid targeting ISIS suspects in Pirde on September 27, two Kurdish youths, Murad Zana and Mohammed Hemin, were shot and martyred.

In early October, ISIS militants also launched successive nighttime attacks on Federal Police and Popular Mobilization Forces checkpoints in Hawija, resulted in the death of a federal police officer and several injuries.

Lawmaker Mazin Ghareeb previously told Channel8 that the clashes were anticipated due to a long-standing 168-kilometer security vacuum allowing ISIS to regroup, urging joint military deployments between Erbil and Baghdad. 

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