Kurds attack Turkmen political party after suicide bombing killing 22

At least 22 people were killed on Monday in a suicide bombing during a protest rally in Kirkuk and gunfire in the panic that followed, officials told AFP.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt in downtown Kirkuk amid a group of people protesting against a provincial election law, prompting guards to fire to disperse a surging crowd, officials added.Â

After the explosion, some demonstrators walked to the ITF office after they staged a protest march in Kirkuk, Saadettin Ergec, the chairman of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), told the Anatolian Agency.

"They wounded some officials in the office, including the head of the security personnel, and they set ablaze vehicles," Ergec said. He said the demonstrators later attacked the Turkmeneli TV station, and added that police did not intervene in the demonstrators.

The Kurd attackers kidnapped five Turkmen party members, ITF's Ankara representative, Ahmet Muratlı, told the agency.

Turkey is concerned over the attacks in Kirkuk and called on the Iraqi security authorities to take the necessary measures, a statement said on Monday, Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We offer our condolences to the families of our Iraqi friends who died in this terrorist attack and wish a quick recovery to those who were injured," it said.

Iraqi security officials should take the necessary measures against such acts which are aimed at damaging the atmosphere of compromise and dialogue that has been tried to be secured in Kirkuk, the statement said.

"We expect the people in Kirkuk to act with commonsense towards these provocative actions which aim at damaging the tranquility and stability not only in Kirkuk, but also in Iraq and the whole region," the statement added. 

Kirkuk, an ancient city that once was part of the Ottoman Empire, is often the scene of communal tensions among Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, and the latest violence was sparked by protests over the controversial legislation for planned provincial elections.

The draft is currently being reviewed by the Iraqi parliament but many Kurdish and Shiite ministers are opposed to the bill.

 

Kurds in particular have opposed the law because of disputes over how to constitute the provincial council of Kirkuk, the northern oil province claimed by the Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.

 

The question is important to them because it could affect ownership of the northern provinces oil resources, claimed by both Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.

 

Last week, Iraq’s 275-member parliament initially adopted the election law that would have allowed provincial polls scheduled for October to proceed but the bill was then vetoed by the three-member Presidency Council.

 

Photo: AP