Kirkuk enjoys fragile peace after ISIS onslaught

KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region - The streets of Kirkuk were abuzz on Sunday, July 12, as Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Assyrians weaved around one another in the ancient bazaar at the heart of the ethnically rich city.
 
The coalition-backed Peshmerga now control the city and a fragile sense of security has set in. The Kurdish forces are backed by Iraqi security officers and, outside the city limits, the Shiite militias known as the Hashd al-Shabi, or Popular Mobilization Units.
 
With borders protected from the Islamic State, or ISIS, the security forces keep close watch over Kikruk, which was heavily attacked by the Islamic State last year. 
 
The increased security seems to have eased tension on the city's streets even as nearby villages in the oil-rich region suffer regular ISIS attacks. The large city of Hawija, only 48km to the south, is totally controlled by ISIS. 

Since Peshmerga forces secured Kirkuk last year from the extremists, the Kurds have laid claim to the city they have fought over for decades.

But the city’s diverse demographics and ancient history make things in Kirkuk more complicated. The city’s Arab and Turkmen populations also consider the city to be theirs.

Born and raised in Kirkuk, Saifadin Bahadin Rahmatullah, 27, has watched the city cycle through many phases – most recently, recovering from terror and grappling for stability.

“Before the Peshmerga came to protect us from ISIS, we faced daily attacks and expected bombs,” Rahmatullah said behind his fruit stand in the bazaar.

“Now, it’s safe. Now, it’s more crowded and business is better.”
The Kurd, who says he volunteers for the Peshmerga, also commended the Hashd al-Shaabi for keeping the city safe.

“There is no problem,” he said. “We know they are just protecting like the Peshmerga. We hope they can work together like brothers. We really want to live in peace.”

At a nearby candy stand, Abbas Kadhim, 66, echoed the sentiment. “We are living and working together,” he said of the different ethnicities. “Before, there were terrorist attacks. Now, it’s more stable.”

Kadhim moved from southern Iraq to Kirkuk 40 years ago with his family. He says he had relatives in Hawija who fled after ISIS invaded and took over the city in June 2014.

As a result of the attacks, Kirkuk was flooded with refugees, said Kamal Salayi, mayor of the city. Nearly 9,000 people have moved to Kirkuk from other parts of the country.

Kadhim said he has seen no hostility among different groups in the city. “Hashd al-Shaabi is a national force protecting the country,” he said. “There is no difference between the Hashd al-Shaabi and Peshmerga.”

As for the future of Kirkuk, Kadhim said, “it depends on the leaders.”

 Like Kadhim and others in the bazaar, Zahradin Ahmed Mubarak, 36, says he has seen increased traffic in the city’s center and he does not know anyone who plans to leave.

“Before, we had oil. Now, we have a government protecting us,” said the Turkmen, who runs a soap and accessories stand. “I am happy with the Peshmerga force just like the Hashd al-Shaabi.”

Despite a feeling of contentedness from many in Kirkuk, the threat of violence remains strong.

Less than two months ago, police arrested a group of ISIS-linked terror suspects who had explosives in the city and are thought to have been planning attacks on civilians, Brigadier Sarhad Qadir, police chief of Kirkuk, told Rudaw in May.

Despite the relief the city has felt since being freed of ISIS, pessimistic voices can still be heard.

Kurdish resident Nazira Rashid, 63, and her husband Omar enjoy the current stability, but they doubt it can last for long.

“We don’t have car bombs and terrorist attacks anymore,” Rashid said. “But we don’t trust the Hashd al-Shaabi. The Peshmerga have been fighters for decades, but this is not true about the Shiite fighters."

While Rashid hopes for a peaceful future for Kirkuk, her husband believes a clash between Peshmerga fighters and Hashd al-Shaabi forces is inevitable after ISIS has been pushed out.

Still, healing from recent attacks and hoping to prevent violence in the future, many in Kirkuk plan to stay put, out of necessity or desire.

“I don’t have any plans to leave because my life is here,” Mubarak said.