Colonel Kawa Mullah Parwez, head of the Khurmatu security forces, told Rudaw on Saturday that over the past two days the Shiite Asaib Ahl-haq group affiliated with the Hashd al-Shaabi has "driven 70 Kurdish families out of the Askari neighborhood" in Khurmatu.
“They think the Kurds will leave Khurmatu this way [by force]. But this is nothing other than fantasy. These Kurdish families will reside in another neighborhood after they are forced to leave or choose to leave for fear of war,” Parwez said.
As part of attempts to deteriorate the situation of the town, the main office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Khurmatu came under fire on Friday night, said an official, adding that two hand grenades were also thrown into Kurdish neighborhoods of the town.
“Two hand grenades were thrown into Kurdish neighborhoods and shots are currently being fired at the PUK shelter," Mala Hassan, a PUK official and also member of the provincial council of Salahaddin province, told Rudaw.
He added that the gunfire was to cause tension and complications in the already volatile area.
“The shots were being fired high (into the skies) by the Turkmen Hashd and it is mostly to cause tension. But they haven’t responded yet,” he added.
Efforts were underway last night to prevent the situation from escalating, he detailed.
But Parwez, the security chief, said that shooting was ongoing.
“We don't block anyone from coming to Kurdish neighborhoods. They travel often for their daily work. But unfortunately, the lives of the Kurds will be in danger if they go to their neighborhoods,” he added.
Attempts to deteriorate security in Khurmatu come amid escalating tensions between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad since the independence referendum vote was held which includes fears of armed clashes in the disputed or Kurdistani areas, particularly in the Kirkuk region claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad.
The town of Khurmatu is in Iraq's northern Diyala province. Its population is nearly 220,000 including all its towns and villages. The Kurds make up 55 percent of the population, the Arabs 15 percent, and the Turkmen 30 percent.
Iraqi forces and Hashd al-Shaabi are in a standoff with Peshmerga over Kirkuk. The Peshmerga sent 6,000 reinforcements to the disputed area on Thursday night to counter a buildup of Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi.
The Peshmerga have withdrawn from a few posts and fortified their positions in a line of defense they believe can be protected with minimum casualties if conflict does break out in the oil-rich province.
