Sunday, September 03, 2023

Are you getting all sides of the coverage regarding the Kirkuk clashes

 Yesterday's clashes in Kirkuk remain in the news and the death toll from Saturday's clashes has risen to four.  




Many outlets offer one sided coverage.  They leave out the militias.  They leave out the militias refusing to go along with the prime minister of Iraq's orders.   Chenar Chalak (RUDAW) offers some reality: 


An order from Sudani in August asked the JOC to evacuate their offices in Kirkuk and hand them over to the KDP to allow the Kurdish party to resume its political activities in the province. The buildings were used by the KDP prior to the expulsion of the Peshmerga forces from Kirkuk in October 2017 when Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) gained control of the province.

Sudani’s decision was strongly rejected by the PMF and their supporters, who set up tents and held sit-in protests near the JOC headquarters in Kirkuk, blocking the main Kirkuk-Erbil highway and vowing to continue demonstrations until the Iraqi premier revokes his decision and leaves the matter to the judiciary. The protesters claimed that the KDP’s return would be detrimental to the province’s security.

Footage emerged on social media depicting the PMF protesters disrespecting the flag of the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk’s Peshmerga statue located near the JOC headquarters, further enraging the city’s Kurdish population who were already frustrated with the ongoing blockage of the key highway for nearly a week.


AL MAYADEEN states, "It is worth noting that Arab and Turkmen demonstrators staged a sit-in near the headquarters of the Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk province last Monday, after reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had ordered them to hand over the site to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)."  It is worth noting so why do so many outlets leave that detail out?  It's an oil-rich, disputed area.  You'd think outlets -- especially western ones -- would be a little more careful in providing balance and noting actual events.




REUTERS reports:


Iraq's federal supreme court issued an urgent temporary ruling on Sunday obliging the government to delay procedures regarding the handover of a building in Kirkuk to the KDP, the state news agency reported.

The court ruling halted an order issued by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of Iraq's armed forces to hand over the army building to the KDP on September 1, according to a copy of the ruling seen by Reuters.


Not everyone is thrilled with the decision to halt the handover.  KURDISTAN 24 reports:


Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani described the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court’s Sunday decision on recovering the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) former headquarters in Kirkuk as a “farce”.

“Today's ‘federal court’ decision is a farce,” Barzani wrote on X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

[. . .] 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday ordered the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs to register the killed protestors in Kirkuk as “martyrs” and provide medical assistance to the wounded, the spokesperson announced.


THE NATIONAL quote Barzani point out, "It's surprising that in the past few days security forces in Kirkuk did not prevent the violence and illegal behaviour of some groups, but today the Kurdish protesters were faced with violence and (the) blood of Kurdish youth was spilt, and it will carry a heavy price."

 


The following sites updated:



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