"The security situation prior to now and some other reasons [have prompted people to leave]. Some have gone to Sulaimani. Others have left to other cities of Kurdistan. There are others who have migrated abroad. We could say it is about 200 families," said Soran Ali, the head of Khanaqin Municipality.
Khanaqin located in Diyala province south of Kirkuk and near the border with Iran previously was under the administration of the Kurdistan Region until the events of October 16.
"Back then, one Asayesh [Kurdish security] squad would guarantee your [safety] from here all the way to the Kubash checkpoint. It would guarantee your safety up to near Mam Ways. There would be Asayesh patrols up to the morning. Now Asayesh doesn't have patrols," local resident Mohammed Wali said, referring to Kurdish security units.
After the federal takeover, the Iraqi Army was charged with providing security.
"If the Iraqi Army had been able to make things better, it would have made Jalawla better, would make Sa'diya better, and would make Baghdad's conditions better. Now it wants to make ours better? It was 13-14 years of security with no trouble — electricity, water, roads, and everything. Ever since their arrival, these issues have surfaced," another resident Abbas Akram said.
The Iraqi Army is stretched thin and dealing with protests in Baghdad and southern provinces, as they continue to counter ISIS remnants in Anbar, Mosul, Saladin, and Kirkuk.
Salar Nusayf a local commander for the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary says they are present, but not always seen.
"We aren't visible so that we don't tarnish or burden the Hashd al-Shaabi commission. Also, whosoever has done something on his own and wants to attribute it to Hashd al-Shaabi, well Hashd al-Shaabi is never the shelter for such people — whoever they might be," he said.
The KRG considers Khanaqin to be part of the Kurdistan Region. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won a seat in Diyala in the provincial election despite problems with campaigning.
"We are trying to get thing to go back to like they were before. We are in touch with the federal government to re-establish the coordination that existed. It created a more favorable psychological setting for the people," said Muhsin Ali, the head of PUK Office 8 in Khanaqin.
The two largest Kurdistani parties — the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) — would like to see disputed or Kurdistani lands returned to KRG administration. They are sending a high-level delegation to Baghdad on Saturday to meet with list leaders about the formation of the next government.
Issues like the diverse disputed territories, security, services, true partnership, and revenue sharing are expected to be at the top of the agenda.
