KIRKUK, Iraq - Fear and uncertainty are a prevailing notion among the small religious minority of Kakais in southern Kirkuk, living amid the absence of security actors in the area and the looming threat of a potential Islamic State (ISIS) attack.
Scattered across the villages of oil-rich Kirkuk, the Kakais are located directly along the confrontation lines where members of the Iraqi security forces and ISIS often clash, endangering the lives of the minority group.
“The current situation in southern Kirkuk is dreadful and unsafe, as the Federal Police and Iraqi Army refuse to intervene in the face of threats,” a locally respected Kakai Sayyid told Rudaw English in late February on the condition of anonymity.
Kakais, who are generally considered to be Kurdish in ethnicity, hold unique spiritual beliefs based upon the 14th century teachings of Sultan Sahak, with roots that transcend borders that today delineate Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan.
In Iraq, the minority group is estimated to number between 110,000-200,000, mainly living in the southeastern Kirkuk province area of Daquq, and in the Nineveh Plains to the east of Mosul.
During the counter-ISIS campaign that began in 2016, as they sought to defend their right to exist, Kakais fought alongside Kurdish Peshmerga units. At least 200 Kakais are believed to have been killed by the militant group, targeted for their religious identity.
Known as a highly secretive community, Kakais regard Daquq’s Topzawa village as their capital and follow the Yarsan religion. However, their number in the area has dramatically decreased since 2017.
“In the village of Arab Koyi, there is currently only one Kakai family left, and even they only stay there during the day and leave at nighttime,” the Kakai elderly added, stressing the dire conditions the minority find themselves in.
In October of 2017, the Iraqi army took control over the disputed Kirkuk and its oil fields. Since then, multiple Iraqi forces and paramilitaries have been stationed in the area, in an arrangement that reassured the Arabs and Turkmens living in the city, leaving Kakais feeling abandoned and left out, with their struggles completely ignored.
Kakais in southern Kirkuk has been living under extremely unsafe and uncertain conditions ever since ISIS controlled swathes of Iraq in 2014. The terror group was territorially defeated but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and kidnapping across several provinces while taking shelter in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.
Now, almost 8 years later, the situation is little improved for the Yarsan followers, as they are unable to return to their ancestral homes due to the lack of security actors and the overall uninhabitable nature of the region.
Rajab Assi Kakayi, a notable Kakai activist and representative, shared the concerns surrounding Kakais, adding that the threat of ISIS in the area continues to pose a significant security threat to locals.
“Even though most of the ISIS-invaded Kakai villages have been restored since 2016, they have become completely uninhabitable due to the destruction and the ever-lurking threat of an ISIS reemergence,” Assi told Rudaw English.
The activist also claimed that instating the Iraqi police in the area since 2018 has yielded no results either, due to the fact that the forces took over schools and people’s houses, turning them into their headquarters, and striking disappointment in the hearts of Kakais.
“Even those who were entitled to get back their agricultural land according to the law have had their land taken away from them once again by the Iraqi armed forces,” Assi explained.
In that same sense, the Sayyid stated that many poverty-stricken families have only survived by the “grace of God.” He went on to mention that his own family had a large piece of land in the area which has since been invaded and taken over allegedly by the Iraqi army.
The piece of land has a lot of sentimental values due to the fact that it was passed down to them from their ancestors, he noted.
Local Kakais decried the lack of freedom in conducting their religious practices claiming that they are allowed to practice their daily religious acts inside their homes only.
Kakai representation in the Iraqi parliament
Despite the fact that there is currently no allocated quota for Kakais in the Iraqi parliament, Baghdad’s early October election witnessed a historic victory for the Yarsan followers as two of their candidates were able to earn seats in the parliament, making them the first Kakai representatives in the Iraqi parliament after years of absence.
Iraqis headed to the polls on October 10 under a new electoral law that radically changed the voting system.
Speaking to Rudaw English on Monday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) Najwa Hamid, who scored a seat in the 329-seated legislature, said they have a dossier prepared regarding the looming security concerns in southern Kirkuk.
Hamid does not represent Kakais only, but the entirety of Kirkuk’s population.
Kakais hope this new milestone will bring them a greater sense of security in the near future.
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