KIRKUK, Iraq
Families in Kirkuk are housing Fallujah families who have fled from the violence between the Iraqi army and armed groups, Anadolu Agency (AA) reports.
In the Turkalan village in the south of Kirkuk, where the Turkmen population is high, villagers are looking after the families who fled the conflict.
“I am a Shiite Turkmen and they are Sunni. It is one of the dirty games of administrators to pretend as if there is a Shiite-Sunni hostility,” he said.
Abdulkasim Beyatoglu, who housed the Latif Family, said that the Fallujah people helped them when they were refugees back the time of the Saddam regime.
“We open our door for them now,” he added.
In Fallujah there are ongoing power, water and communication cuts; civilians look for shelter in the neighboring cities of Kirkuk, where Turkmens have been murdered and exiled throughout Iraq’s history - including under the late ruler Saddam Hussein.
Iraq has been the scene of rising violence over the past months, with car bombings and assassinations killing hundreds of people.
45-year-old Adnan Latif, speaking to AA said he fled with his 15-member family from Fallujah and found a shelter in Kirkuk.
“The war in Iraq is getting worsen and more civilians are dying every day,” he said.
“The weather conditions are difficult for us too,” he added.
“Life in Fallujah has stopped,” he said.
Oil rich Iraqi province of Kirkuk has historically been a predominantly Turkmen city, but it is gradually losing its uniquely Turkmen character.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
