Shiite cleric urges Kurds and Shiite militia in Khurmatu to unite against ISIS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—A major Shiite cleric in Karbala warned in his Friday sermon against the increasing tensions between Kurds and Shiite militia in Tuz Khurmatu, calling the recent clashes ‘a dangerous indication’.

Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbali called on Iraqi politicians to end the tension in Khurmatu through dialogue “and preserve the spirit of peaceful coexistence,”

“All hands should join and unite their energy to fight the real terrorists and the war should not be diverted from its course,” said al-Karbali in reference to the war against the Islamic State (ISIS).

The town of Khurmatu, approx. 80 KM south of Kirkuk, has witnessed two weeks of tensions between Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Shiite militia known as Hashd al-Shabi where several people were killed in clashes and others detained by both forces.

"Violence in Khurmatu has resulted in the death and wounding of 21 people, including seven Kurds and others from Arabs and Turkmens of the city," Jabar Yawar, chief of staff of the Peshmerga ministry, told Rudaw on Tuesday.

The spokesman for the Shiite militia Karim Nouri echoed the cleric’s concerns on Friday, saying that confrontations between the Kurdish and Shiite forces would affect the war against ISIS elsewhere in Iraq.

Nouri said that the Peshmerga had played a crucial role in liberating several areas in northern Diyala from ISIS last year such as Amerli and Jalawla, adding that “the unfortunate incidents in Khurmatu,” should not end their coordination with the Peshmerga.

Khurmatu is located on the main highway that connects the Kurdistan Region to the Iraqi capital Baghdad.