ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The last Kurdish-held security position in Salahaddin province’s Tuz Khurmatu district has been replaced by an Arab following security orders issued after last month’s attack on the Khor Mor gas field, local officials told Rudaw.
“The Iraqi Ministry of Interior [Abdul Amir al-Shammari] is making changes to seven security positions in [Tuz] Khurmatu district. Before the changes, only one position was held by a Kurd, and that has been given to an Arab,” Kawa Sheikhani, an advisor to the governor of Salahaddin, told Rudaw.
Khalid Walid, a Kurd, previously served as director of the government institutions protection department at the Tuz Khurmatu police directorate. His post has now been assigned to an Arab officer.
“One of the reasons for losing that position was that there was no Kurdish officer in Khurmatu to take the position, and most of them are on duty in Kirkuk and other provinces,” Sheikhani explained.
The changes come after December 3, when an investigative committee examining the attack on Sulaimani province’s Khor Mor gas field announced that the strike was carried out from east of Tuz Khurmatu. The committee’s findings were based on recommendations from a high-level investigation involving intelligence and security agencies from both Baghdad and Erbil. One of the recommendations called for reshuffling and changes within the security forces in the area.
However, Sheikhani said he believes it is unlikely that the personnel changes are directly linked to the Khor Mor attack.
The Khor Mor gas field came under attack in late November. The strike targeted a storage tank, disrupting around 80 percent of the Kurdistan Region’s power supply for several days.
The gas field is operated by Pearl Petroleum, a consortium that includes UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum. The site has been repeatedly targeted by Katyusha rockets and drones — attacks Kurdish authorities have attributed to Iran-backed Iraqi militias.
Changes to security positions in Salahaddin province are carried out by Iraq’s interior ministry.
“The decisions are not related to the Salahaddin local government and were issued by the interior ministry,” Yassin Dawoodi, a member of the Salahaddin provincial council representing Tuz Khurmatu district, told Rudaw.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report from Erbil.