ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Supporters of the Iraqi Turkmen Front on Monday stormed the municipality building in Prde (Altun Kupri), a disputed town in Kirkuk province, in protest of the appointment of a Kurdish woman as its new head.
Some protesters, reportedly armed, broke windows and doors before security forces dispersed them. Others set fires and temporarily blocked the main Erbil-Kirkuk highway as demonstrations escalated throughout the day.
The newly appointed municipality director is a Kurdish woman from the city.
The demonstrators demand that one of three key positions in the town - mayor, subdistrict administrator, or police chief - be assigned to a Turkmen representative. Protesters told Rudaw they would continue demonstrations until one of these posts is granted.
In addition to Turkmen Front supporters, Turkmen members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) and cadres from the Badr Organization joined the protest, according to Rudaw’s reporter. Among them was Ahmad Ramzi, a member of Kirkuk’s provincial council representing the Turkmen Front.
The Turkmen Front has reportedly been divided over how to respond to recent administrative appointments in disputed areas, with a rift between its former head Hassan Turan - who resigned in April - and Arshad al-Salihi, the current head in the Iraqi parliament and Turan’s predecessor before 2021.
The party is particularly active in politics in the disputed city of Kirkuk, repeatedly claiming that the city belongs to the Turkmen people.
Hiwa Hussamadin contributed to this report.