ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Residents of the Newroz neighborhood in Kirkuk have dismantled a protest tent that had been set up for more than two years after Iraqi army forces claiming the ownership of the land on which several Kurdish families’ homes were built withdrew from the area.
The tent had been erected in one of the neighborhood’s streets to protest the army’s take over of a number of houses that Kurdish families say they have lived in for years. The protest followed repeated attempts by the military to evict residents, most recently during pre-dawn raids earlier this week that reignited tensions in the multi-ethnic city.
On Wednesday, Fakhraddin Salih, a representative of the neighborhood, told Rudaw that the situation had significantly improved following intervention by local authorities.
“Following the events on Sunday and the governor's intervention to resolve the issue, the army has withdrawn from the neighborhood," Salih said, adding that only two houses currently "remain under police control, and a suitable solution is expected to be found for those houses as well.”
He added that negotiations led by Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha contributed to ending the crisis “after he communicated directly with the Iraqi Chief of Staff."
He added that the case is now "under the oversight of the provincial administration," hoping that the issue will be fully resolved in the future.