Karatepe, 112 km northeast of the city of Baquba in the province of Diyala, has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen majority. It is also located within the disputed areas. It suffers from the same suffering as other Turkmen cities, neglected by both central and regional government, and in the middle of the conflict by both central government and the regional government. Although the city is outside the borders of the Kurdistan region which was decided upon on 2003, it is officially under the control of the Peshmerga forces which failed (or did not intend) to protect the Turkmen as in the rest of the Turkmen regions of Kerkuk, Salah al-Din and Mosul.Mortars and Katyusha rockets from nearby villages and towns, especially from the south and west, where the Hamrin Mountains and Zarjeh villages located and which are still embracing Daesh, are constantly targeting the city of Karatepe. According to a local source (his name preferred not to be mentioned), Daesh’s leaders in Diyala who were at Hawija has came from some parts of the province of Salah al-Din, which is still not entirely under the control of the state. They took the mountains of Hamrin as a location to attack the city of Karatepe from time to time. “The same source,” mentioned “a week after a failed attempt” of a young man form a villages near Karatepe, riding a bicycle was trying to blow himself up on the members of police personnel in the middle of the city. The gangs targeted the city on Saturday night 24 June 2017 with Katyusha rockets that led to the death of a 20-year-old Turkmen woman and a six-year-old child and the wounding of others with the demolition and damage of many houses. This incident was also confirmed by the Iraqi agencies.
According to the same source, “A while ago, we, the people of the city, collected donations to buy night glasses and equipment for Al hashid Al shabi (local people forces) because of their limited capabilities of the existing local force, a regiment of the Al hashid Al shabi holding the security file in the south of the city with the army in the east, while Kurdish Peshmerga forces control the Northeast of the city. “.
A local source said that the Governor of Diyala visited the city to observe the situation, and confirmed in his statement that “The local security forces have failed to provide protection to civilians and soon we will announce a new security plan to free the areas of the city and secure the area,”
The MP Furat al-Tamimi, who is from Diyala province told Alsumaria News this morning that “the Turkmen are exposed to a programmed targeting in the area of Karatepe, stressing that they are the indigenous people of the city and there is an attempt to displace them and create a demographic change in the city, warning of continuous waves of displacement in the city because of continuous targeting. He asked the Security forces to protect the unarmed civilians, especially the Turkmen as the biggest target of the terrorists in the city. He stressed that the city suffers from government’s neglecting services and security and the constant targeting from Daesh.
The local and central governments must take full responsibility for the protection of the Turkmen in this city and withdraw the security file from the hands of the Peshmerga forces, which failed to protect unarmed civilians from the Turkmens for 14 years. They are only for the protection of the Kurdish areas, and it is very necessary to support the local forces of the Turkmen and increase their numbers and equip them to protect themselves.
Turkmen Rescue Foundation
Human Rights Section
28 June 2017
Translated by: gülşen beyatli
“Terror of Kurdish militias in Kirkuk”
Again and in the broad daylight and in front of the local government and the security forces in the province of Kerkuk, gangs and militias belonging to the Kurdish parties are attacking unarmed Turkmen civilians and for reasons that have become obvious and clear.
At 3 pm on Friday, June 23, 2017, a gang robbed a Turkmen citizen’s car, in the old Saydeen Street of Wasiti neighborhood in the center of the province. An eyewitness (who declined to be identified) said “This was a gang consisting of four Gunmen were riding a Merzi pickup car with a white color. Two of them were wearing Kurdish uniforms and others wearing green uniforms similar to Asayish (security forces) of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) clothes. They stole a Toyota 2017 GXR belonging to a Turkmen citizen (Salam Koprli). According to the same witness, “the gunmen tried to oblige the citizen to hand over the keys of his car by force. The owner tried to get rid of them; he threw the key to the house adjacent to the location. One of the gunmen stormed the house and attacked the owner of the house with a back of the gun caused wound to his head, and blood was covering his face, according to a source witnessed the incident. The other gunman threw two shots at the head of the driver of the car where he was lying on the street, but he survived by miracle, after that the gang stole the car and fled.
It is worth mentioning that the site of the incident is located in the middle of several security points. Only 300 meters away, and towards the neighborhood of (Wahid Huzayran). There is an emergency police station for the first regiment, but they completely did not move, although the incident’s duration was about half an hour. Also the headquarters of the Asayish (Kurdish Security Force) is located in the other side of Al Wasiti neighborhood, but they did not move a foot also, although the gunmen used the same main street (Al Saydeen) during the attack and withdrawal.
These criminal operations, which occurs daily, target the Turkmen citizens in the province of Kirkuk, in the face of the failure or involvement of the local security services, require a courageous and brave stand from the commander-in-chief of the armed forces as the country’s top security official and his serious move to bring federal forces to protect the people of the city. Or arm the people of the city to protect themselves from the brutality of criminal gangs. Also it is required from the Iraqi parliament to form a committee to investigate these crimes and to find out the details and purposes.
Turkmen Rescue Foundation
Human Rights Section
24 June 2017
Translated by: gülşen beyatli
Continuation of the Kurdish terrorism against Turkmen civilians
Not a single day passes without an attack or targeting Turkmen civilians at the so called by the Iraqi constitution “Disputed Areas”. Previously the dispute was about legality, while currently turned to bloody and fatal.
Few days after the kidnapping and torturing a Turkmen citizen “Ali Muhammad Ali” in Kerkuk, who was found after few days thrown on the road at one of Kerkuk’s suburb. The video, which was distributed, showed that the kidnappers are Kurds.
On Wednesday May 3, 2017, at 3:00 PM. A Starex car transporting Turkmen university girls from Kerkuk University to their home at Tuz Khormato, a city located within Salahadin Governorate. When the car arrived the northern checkpoint of Tuz Khormato, which is controlled, by the Peshmerge and the Asayish. The car stopped and then moved away from the check point, at this point one of the reckless Kurd started shooting the car hitting the back window shield of the car, this caused many injuries to the shoulders and heads of the driver and the students. The Turkmen driver Sameer Sadon’s condition is critical.
It is clear from the photographs which was distributed after the incident at the social media, that this incident was intentional because there is no legal or security reason to target a civil car transporting students specially the drivers are well know to the checkpoint because they are frequent drivers through these check point.
The public cannot ignore this crime and the previous crimes of the Kurdish terrorist gangs in these areas.
The United Nation should be more serious while dealing with Turkmen issue and for being target of the terrorist gangs. They should not only meet the political candidates at the green zone. UN should activate its local offices at the area. And it is necessary to have an emergency office at Tuz Khormato to follow up with the events and be a watchdog in the area.
The Iraqi Parliament should establish an Investigation Committee to follow up and to be fact finders for these frequent attacks, especially against the Turkmen in the area.
The Iraqi Government should stop the role of advising and honoring in this area. The Prime Minister, as a Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces should use all his authorities to provide security, and save the civilian’s life in this area.
Turkmen Rescue Foundation
Human Rights Office
04/05/2
