Iraq: Curfew imposed in Kirkuk city after rival protests turn violent

Baghdad [Iraq]: A curfew has been imposed in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk after rival protests between Kurdish and Arab residents turned violent killing a civilian and injuring eight others, Al Jazeera reported.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani ordered a curfew in Kirkuk and “extensive security operations in the areas affected by the riots”, a statement from his office said on Saturday.

A local official said that one civilian was killed and eight were injured, after days of brewing tensions in Kirkuk, which has historically been disputed between the federal government in Baghdad and the authorities in the autonomous Kurdish region in the north.

Arab residents had blocked a major highway for days after the headquarters of local Iraqi security forces were reportedly handed over to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

In 2014, the KDP and the Peshmerga, the security forces of the autonomous Kurdish region, took control of Kirkuk, an oil-producing region of northern Iraq. Federal troops expelled them in 2017 after an abortive referendum on Kurdish independence, as per Al Jazeera.

During the latest tensions, police were deployed to act as a buffer and keep apart the rival groups.