KDP office in Kirkuk attacked

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Unidentified gunmen attacked the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Kirkuk early Saturday. Police are investigating the incident, a party official said. 

“The shooting came from behind our third branch. The guards immediately responded,” Aram Jabar, a senior official of the office, told Rudaw, adding that the assault did not cause casualties. 

“The shooters were pedestrians and ran away after shooting at the third branch. Following the incident, a security force came to investigate it and check CCTV footage,” he noted. 

Mohammed Kamal, head of the office, told Rudaw that they had intel that such an attack would happen and had informed the local security forces.

"Our Peshmerga [guards] were on alert," he added. 

KDP is the strongest political party in the Kurdistan Region. The party's Kirkuk office was closed after the Kurdish Peshmerga forces were forced out by the Iraqi army and paramilitary forces in October 2017 following the Region’s independence referendum which included the province. 

KDP reopened the office late last year despite strong opposition from pro-Iran militia groups. 

The shooting comes against the backdrop of political tensions in the province as Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens struggle to reach an agreement regarding the formation of the local government - more than six months after local elections were held. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani is pressuring the members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council to reach a deal soon.  

Hiwa Hussamadin contributed to this article