Iraqi Turkmens fear over rising violence

ANKARA

Turkmens in Iraq want a special status to preserve their rights due to the ongoing violence between the central government and the KRG. DHA photo

Iraqi Turkmens are worried that they could suffer the most amid increasing violence between the central government and Kurdish administration in the north, according to a senior Turkmen politician.

The Iraqi army under the authority of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was dispatched to Turkmen regions in Kirkuk, while the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) peshmarga were deployed to the north of the city, Iraqi Turkmen Front chairman and Kirkuk deputy Arshad al-Salehi told Anatolia news agency
yesterday, adding that any clashes between them would harm Turkmens. “We want a special status in our region for Turkmens so that Turkmens can preserve their rights,” the politician said.

Violence mounted recently against Iraqi Turkmens, said al-Salehi. Citing a lack of security in Kirkuk, he said the police was under the control of Kurds. Al-Salehi also touched on the killing of two Turkmen teachers that were burned to death in Kirkuk earlier this month, noting that the incident was designed to convince them to migrate elsewhere.