Ethnic Tensions Flare in Kirkuk

Ethnic tensions between the Kurds and Turkmen have flared in Kirkuk, Iraq, where Korean peacekeeping troops of the Zaitoon unit will be dispatched. Also, people worry about the worsening security in the region.

The AFP news agency reported on March 3 that dozens of Kurds attacked the office of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) and vandalized it. This attack was the second in a row since the February 29th attack.

An ITF representative said, “About 50 Kurds attacked our office and vandalized some properties and windows,” and he added. “We haven’t yet identified whether the action was done by either the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) or the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).” Upon this comment, the PUK retorted, saying, “Rather, it is the Turkmen who are undermining the security of Kirkuk by shooting guns on the streets just like the action on February 28.”

This clash is interpreted that as Turkmen, the minority community, go on a strike to reflect their interest in the future Iraqi constitution, Kurds are showing a reactionary response.

As the tension worsened, the authorities in Kirkuk advanced the night curfew to 6 p.m. from 10:30 p.m. and prohibited any outdoor gatherings which were not approved beforehand.

However, as the Kurds, Turkmen, and Arabs are all insisting that they constitute more than half of the Kirkuk population, it is not impossible to expect big ethnic clashes soon, analyzed foreign news agencies.

Ho-Gab Lee gdt@donga.com