The security forces in Kirkuk declared liberation of a woman from a gang of five members whom abducted her in Kirkuk and took the amount of 150 million Iraqi Dinars ($100,000) cash in her posession.
The woman went missing on June 10th and family contacted the security forces in Kiurkuk saying she has got also a big amount of cash with her.
Directorate of Kirkuk security, part of Iraq’s national security, said in a statement, a copy sent to KirkukNow, on June 17th it has arrested a band, a woman has been freed and got back her money.
“The dangerous gang has been captured on Kirkuk-Baghdad highway by a joint force based on intelligence feedback. A member of the gang was with the woman in a Chrysler vehicle with Baghdad plate numbers.”
The captured member of the band admitted three other members were in Sulaimaniyah and another in Bagdhad, the statement added.
The security forces have not declared further information about the case of the abducted woman and whereabouts of the accident.
The oil rich-city of Kirkuk is home to about 1.2 million Kurds, Turkmen and Arabs, according to KRG figures in 2018. Kirkuk, located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, is the center of the disputed territories where Iraqi security forces have taken control in October 2017 following the declaration of defeat of ISIS by Iraqi government.
Following the military defeat of ISIS, discord over security arrangements, public services, and the lack of a unified administration in the disputed territories, have plagued victims and survivors.
On Friday, acting governor of Kirkuk Rakan al-Jiburi told the Iraqi News Agency INA “the security situation downtown in Kirkuk is safe and stable except some moves by remnants of Daesh west of Daquq district, south and west of Kirkuk.”
Kurds, whom controlled Kirkuk up to October 2017 when the so-called Islamic State ISIS was ousted by Iraqi forces, wanted Kirkuk, 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, to become part of the Kurdistan region through a referendum for independence, which has been opposed by the Arab and Turkmen populations.
Currently, Iraqi army, local and federal police, Brigade 61 of Special Forces along with shiite paramilitary of Poular Mobilization FOrces PMF, are under Kirkuk joint operations’ command, an umbrella for the security forces running the security of Kirkuk.
