pro-Arab Turkmen Vs pro-Kurdish: Turkmen gunfight in Kirkuk

07/01/2012 19:19




KIRKUK, Jan. 7 (AKnews) – A gunfight has broke out in the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk between the guards of a pro-Kurdish Turkmen leader and an al-Iraqiya lawmaker’s but without leaving casualties, according to police.



An argument turned into gunfight between guards of Iraqi lawmaker Zhale al-Naftchi who is MP in the al-Iraqiya list led by Sunni-Arab backed Ayad Allawi and guards of Irfan Kirkukli, leader of the Turkmenli Peoples’ Party (TPP) – that’s close to the Kurdish Patriotic of Kurdistan Party (PUK) led by Kurdish Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.



Turhan Abdul Rahman, assistant police chief in Kirkuk, told AKnews that “the gunfight did not cause any casualties. The legal procedures have been taken and now there is no problem”



Ali al-Salihi, al-Nafthchi’s office manager, told AKnews that “the house of the MP al-Natfchi has been damaged due to the intense gunfire from the guards of Irfan Kirkukli”



“The son of Kirkukli alone fired more than 40 shots on al-Naftchi’s house. He [Kirkukli] and his children often harass us. I don’t know who they think they are” al-Saihi said.



Kirkukli could not immediately be reached for a comment about the incident.



The oil-rich city of Kirkuk is of multi-ethnic make-up. Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians live in the city. It is one of the territories disputed between Baghdad and Kurdistan Region. Since 2003, Kirkuk has been one of the unstable provinces with frequent armed attacks.



By Abdullah al-Amiri



RY/AKnews