MPs convened in Baghdad on Thursday. They released a statement saying the government must “take responsibility to provide security for farmers’ lands and for distribution centres, as well as finding a proper solution for [this] national fire catastrophe across some provinces."
The lawmakers also suggested issuing a parliamentary decision to “make the government compensate the affected farmers and the families of people martyred as a result of the blazes in addition to launching an investigation in this regard.”
Bashir Haddad, parliament’s deputy speaker who presided the session, announced the formation of a special committee comprised of parliament committees for security and defense, agriculture and regions. He directed them to follow up on the issue and offer their “recommendations” to parliament.
Turhan al-Mufti, who represents the Iraqi government in the chamber, said 40,000 dunams of land have been burned deliberately while the other 110,000 dunams burned due to other factors such as “electricity contact.”
In Iraq, 1 dunam is equal to about 2,500 square-meters of area. Mufti said the government is serious in compensating those affected.
Mohammed Amin Fars, a member of Iraqi parliament’s Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, told Rudaw there is an attempt to burn silos as well, adding they have submitted a letter to the government, demanding “serious measures” be taken to protect them.
Fars claimed that the government has provided different figures about the amount of burned lands.
The fires were initially reported in some areas in disputed Makhmour in mid-May. Some have been blamed on and claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS).
Iraq had a very wet growing season this year. That led to large yields of crops like wheat and barley, but also much grass, brush, and undergrowth.
Temperatures in Iraq have already risen into the mid-40s Celsius, leaving the region with a short and very dry harvest season. Grass and crop fires have been a near-daily occurrence.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, as the head of government, has cautioned that not all of the fires are arson, nor caused by ISIS. He has reiterated that such fires occur most years.
This was later seen in other places as well. Recently in Shingal, fires sparked evacuation and threatened to endanger mass grave sites of Yezidis killed by during the ISIS genocide beginning in August 2014.
Areas like Shingal in Nineveh and Duhok provinces, and to the east in Kirkuk, Diyala, and Saladin provinces are situated between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, where ISIS has been active.
One of the residents of Girda Shin village in Makhmour (near the Erbil-Kirkuk-Nineveh border) told Rudaw in mid May that they intended to leave due to the threats.
"If you don't have any security or safety here, how can you remain here? Your family cannot take it anymore if shooting starts at night," the resident added.
The Iraqi government announced the territorial defeat of ISIS in December 2017. However, remnants of the group have returned to earlier insurgency tactics, ambushing security forces, kidnapping and executing suspected informants, and extorting money from vulnerable rural populations.
Iraq Ministry of Defense Spokesman Yahya Rasul announced on Thursday that Iraqi Security Forces are conducting operations in Diyala against individuals acting "in the name of ISIS."
"Intelligence units managed to detain 2 suspects accused of threatening farmers & burning crop lands in Diyala province’s Qara Tappa & the Katoon region in Baqubah. The suspects did so in the name of Daesh in exchange for “royalties” & were caught with help from farmers," he said on Twitter.
Staff Maj. Gen. Numan Abdul al-Zubai, the commander of Nineveh Operations, said the Army will protect its citizens.
“The security of the province and the safety of its people and their properties is the responsibility of Iraqi Army,” he asserted in a statement from the Ministry of Defense on Thursday. “Those who disturb the security and stability of Nineveh province need to be hit with an iron hand.”
