Iraqi Turkmen Front protests discharge of Turkmens from important positions in Kirkuk
‘Turkmens have been treated unfairly in the distribution of duties in Kirkuk,’ says head of ITC Kirkuk Provincial Branch
Citizens and student organizations gather in Kirkuk's Governorate Street, carrying Iraqi and Turkmen flags to mark the Turkmen national holiday in Kirkuk, Iraq on October 07, 2024.
KIRKUK, Iraq/ISTANBUL
The Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) slammed the removal of Turkmens from important positions in the local administration of Kirkuk, Iraq.
"Turkmens have been treated unfairly in the distribution of duties in Kirkuk,” Kahtan Vindavi, the head of the ITC Kirkuk Provincial Branch, said in a statement Thursday.
Vindavi noted that Turkmen officials who had held the positions of deputy police chief and director of the Kirkuk Agriculture Directorate for years were removed from their posts based on the city's political agreements.
He added that people from other ethnic groups had been appointed to these positions instead of Turkmens and strongly condemned the developments.
Saying that Kirkuk has gone through a difficult political process, Vindavi called for the consideration of equal rights for all ethnic groups in the city when distributing duties.
Vindavi urged Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani to put an end to the injustice and the policy of removing Turkmens from important posts in Kirkuk.
He stressed that the local administration in Kirkuk would only be successful if all parties, without exception, were included in joint governance.
Vindavi said “they would not remain silent” over these unfortunate developments and would use all their legal rights.
