Members of Shiite paramilitary disarm their Kurdish partners in a security checkpoint in Diyalah in reaction to arrest a Shiite leader in Sulaymaniyah by Asayish, Kurdish security forces.
On May 17th afternoon, militants of Popular Mobilization Forces PMF disarm militants of the leading Kurdish party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK in a joint security checkpoint in Khanaqin, one of the disputed territories.
A source in PUK Asayish said in Bawa Mahmud checkpoint at the entrance of Kahanqin "disarm a number of Asayish, took over their cell phones and humiliated them later sent home."
Currently no Asayish of PUK can be seen downtown on the streets of Khanaqin where they used to be on duty in coordination with PMF and local security forces, according to follow up by KirkukNow.
The district of Khanaqin, north of Diyalah, is one of the disputed territories and home to a Kurdish majority plus Arabs and Turkmen. Following the ousting of Saddam regime in 2003, the Kurdish parties particularly PUK were running the security file and administration of Khanaqin up to 2017 when Iraqi forces claimed victory over the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria ISIS.
Diyala May 18, 2021- Supporters of Rab'allah, a Pro-Shiite militia, wrote slogans on Khanaqin's PUK office in Khanaqin. Photo by Amir Khanaqini.
At the same time, a group of people in ordinary dress gather in front of PUK's Asayish office in Khanaqin downtown. They called for the release of a detainee they claim arrested two years ago by PUK Asayish.
The detainee was in charge of engineering department of Brigade 110 of PMF.
"The people who stormed Asayish base some of them were civilians and others were militants of Rab'allah group of PMF but in civil clothes and wrote threats on our wall of our headquarter," the anonymous source added.
The group of protestors later head to PUK office, 500 m away from PUK Asayish, and wrote slogans on the walls there as well, he added.
The protests came to end without any tension.
The slogans were calling on PUK to leave, praising Rab'allah, asking to release the detainee and denouncing Israel.
Diyala May 17, 2021- Supporters of a PMF detainee in front of Khanaqin's PUK office in Khanaqin. Photo from Facebook.
KirkukNow has contacted a senior PMF commander in Diyalah. He denied involvement of PMF or any of its groups or members in the Khanaqin protests. "It was relatives of the detainee protesting."
The events came following the arrest of a businessman close to PMF few days ago in Sulaymaniyah, under control of PUK, by Asayish yet he was freed the same day.
Media spokesperson of PUK's Khanaqin headquarter Ibrahim Hassan told Iraqi media that no tension erupted between PMF and PUK in Khanaqin and it was due to arrest of PMF militant in Sulaymaniyah " his name was identical to a suspect and was freed following inspection."
"A group close to the detainee went to a PUK office and took it as a chance to abuse Peshmerga and Asayish," Hassan added.
The disputed territories extend from Khanaqin in the east on the border with Iran to the oil rich city of Kirkuk heading to the west of Mosul in Shingal, home to Ezidi ethno-religious minority, on the border with Syria.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution in 2005 outlined a road map for disputed territories calling for normalization, census and referendum to determine its administration all in two years but only part of the first stage has been implemented up to the present.
Currently Khanaqin is under control of Baghdad since 2017 with local police downtown while Iraqi army and pro-Shiite militia PMF known as Hashid aal-Sha’abi deployed at the outskirts.
