Iraqi court orders arrest of senior Kurdish official
October 19, 2017
A court in Baghdad has issued an arrest warrant for the vice president of Iraqi Kurdistan for allegedly calling Iraqi troops "occupying forces" in Kirkuk. Tensions have soared since last month's independence referendum.
Kosrat Rasul, third from right, attends the funeral of Kurdish former president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani Image: picture-alliance/Anadolu Agency/Y. Keles
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Iraq's Supreme Justice Council on Thursday ordered the arrest of Kurdistan Regional Government Vice President Kosrat Rasul on charges of "provocation" against Iraq's armed forces.
"The court considers these comments as provocation against the armed forces, under Article 226 of the penal code," an offense which can carry a jail term of up to seven years or a fine, a judiciary spokesman said.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces had been in control of the oil-rich area since 2014, when they stepped in to defend it, after Iraq's army was driven back the rapid advance of "Islamic State" (IS) fighters.
Tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government have been mounting ever since.
Last week, the judiciary in the Iraqi capital also ordered the arrest of three senior Kurdish officials responsible for organizing the September 25 vote. However, the warrants are unlikely to be executed because the government in Baghdad has no enforceable authority in the Kurdish-administered north.
Loss of territory
The Peshmerga's withdrawal from Kirkuk province and its lucrative oil fields this week is likely to deprive the Kurdish regional government of a substantial revenue stream.
Iraqi troops have also taken over formerly Kurdish-held areas in the provinces of Nineveh and Diyala. On Thursday, they seized control of an oil complex near the northern city of Mosul after Kurdish forces pulled out, Iraqi military sources said.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool said the army would redeploy to all areas it controlled before the rise of IS.
In a statement Thursday, the Kurdistan regional government said it welcomed a call by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier in the week for both sides to hold talks to solve the crisis.
"It will not be possible to resolve the issues through military operations," the statement said. "Kurdistan demands the help and contribution" of the international community in sponsoring this dialogue."
nm/ng (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)
Kirkuk: Who's fighting in Iraq's Kurdish-controlled province?
From Shiite militias to Turkey's outlawed PKK, armed groups are fighting for power in Iraqi Kurdistan's oil-rich province of Kirkuk. DW examines who's who in the dispute as tensions rise in the Middle East nation.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca
Battle for Kirkuk
Only a few shots were fired, but Iraq's decision to send in armed forces into the Kurdish-controlled province of Kirkuk and bring it back into the fold has heightened tensions in the Middle East nation. Who's on who's side? And where is the territorial dispute going? DW takes a look at the actors and their motives.
Image: Reuters/Stringer
Iraq's army
In 2014, Kurdish forces went into Kirkuk to fill in the void left behind after Iraq's army collapsed from the "Islamic State's" military campaign. But three years later, the Iraqi military has been rebuilt and ridden a wave of victories against the notorious militant group. They're the main instrument of hard power for the Iraqi government as Baghdad fights for control of the oil-rich province.
Image: Reuters/Stringer
Shiite-dominated Popular Mobilization Units
Even during the liberation of Mosul, the Iraqi army was backed by the Popular Mobilization Units – an alliance of mostly Shiite militias. The Popular Mobilization Units joined the Iraqi army when it advanced on Kurdish-controlled positions in and around the city of Kirkuk. Kurdish politicians have lashed at the units, saying they're serving Iran's goal to destabilize the region.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Al-Rubaye
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is one of the main opposition political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan. Since the first Gulf War, the PUK has jointly administered Iraqi Kurdistan with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Both the PUK and KDP have their own peshmerga forces. In Kirkuk, PUK peshmerga fled the city, leaving it virtually unopposed to Iraqi forces.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/H. Baban
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani is the ruling political party in Iraqi Kurdistan's parliament. Despite warnings from the central government, it was the KDP's Barzani who vowed to move forward on the independence referendum, infuriating Baghdad. KDP peshmerga fighters – like the PUK fighters – fled Kirkuk when Iraqi forces advanced on the city.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. Janssen
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was born in the 1970s out of an ambitious dream to create a Marxist-Leninist state in the Middle East to be called Kurdistan. In the 1980s, the group launched a bloody insurgency against the state of Turkey. While considered unwelcome in Iraq, the PKK has links with Iraq's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) – and likely appeared in Kirkuk to back them.
