Acting governor of Kirkuk urged political groups to avoid statements that might undermine the administration’s joint initiative with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) which has led to the release of a number of detainees held in Sulaimaniyah prisons, applauding the PUK leadership.
More than 20 people from Kirkuk were part of a second batch of detainees who were released from Sulaimaniyah prisons on April 11, and handed over to the joint operations command.
“We express our gratitude to the efforts made by the head of the PUK organizational center in Kirkuk Aso Mamand and other officials as well as some provincial council members supported by Iraqi president Barham Salih and several Iraqi MPs”, al-Jiburi said in a statement.
The acting governor explained that “the initiative came as a result of previous talks between the Kirkuk administration and the PUK organizational center in the province to release the detainees held in Kurdistan Region prisons, particularly those in Sulaimaniyah.”
We urge all sides to avoid statements that could undermine the sincere efforts to serve Kirkuk and its residents
“The joy and happiness which overwhelmed the families of the released detainees and the spark of hope we sensed on faces of others waiting for the return of others still detained makes us be thankful to all those contributed to the success of this initiative”, the statement added.
Al-Jiburi urged all sides to “avoid issuing statements or adopting positions that could undermine the sincere efforts to serve Kirkuk and its residents”, and called for supporting the security forces “to carry out their tasks aiming to consolidate peace and stability and enhance the sense of citizenship and coexistence among all the components of the province.”
