Kirkuk police arrest suspect in attack on Kurdish man

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kirkuk’s police on Saturday said it had arrested “the main suspect” in an attack on a Kurdish man celebrating early results of the provincial council elections last week.

Thousands of Kurds in Kirkuk went into the streets on Monday evening, raising the Kurdistan Region flag and symbols of the political parties they support, in celebration of the large Kurdish voter turnout in provincial council elections.

While the celebrations continued peacefully in most parts of the city, a video circulated on social media depicting a young man in traditional Kurdish clothing seemingly dragged out of his car and violently attacked, allegedly by supporters of Arab political parties. The video drew heavy criticism from Kurds on social media with calls for the assailants to be punished.

An investigative committee was able to arrest the “main suspect in the assault,” as well as identify the remaining suspects, Kirkuk police command said in a statement.

“The police command will not accept or bargain with anyone who tries to sow discord among the homogeneous components of Kirkuk province, and will strike with an iron hand anyone who dares to harm the prestige of the state,” the statement added.

Kirkuk saw the highest turnout across the country for provincial elections on Monday, with 65 percent of eligible voters casting ballots, numbering over 566,000 votes. The vote in Kirkuk was of great significance for Kurdish parties who saw it as an opportunity to return a Kurdish governor.

Kirkuk is a multiethnic city home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen, as well as an Assyrian minority. It was under joint administration before 2014, when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of a brazen offensive by the Islamic State (ISIS) group threatening the city. Kurds held Kirkuk until October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control and expelled the Peshmerga forces.

The Iraqi federal government’s return to power in Kirkuk in 2017 also meant the province had a non-Kurdish governor for the first time since 2003. Rakan al-Jabouri, a Sunni politician and head of the Arab coalition, has served as Kirkuk’s acting governor for the past six years.