IRAQI TURKMEN FRONT: THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ HAS FAILED IN ENSURING THE SECURITY OF IRAQI TURKMEN

25 ARALIK 2012

The Iraqi Turkmen Front manifested that the Iraqi government had failed in ensuring the security of Turkmen and in protecting their territories. At the same time ITF emphasized that all the options for the protection of the properties and lives of Turkmen were available on the table.

At a press conference organized yesterday Deputy Head of Iraqi Turkmen Front and Member of  Selahattin Province Assembly Ali Haşim Muhtaroğlu demanded that the Iraqi government reviews the balance of security of the commanders responsible for security in these regions and that the Turkmen be given an active role.

Muhtaroğlu repeated his proposition to establish a force consisting of the local population and emphasized that Turkmen should be one of the pillars of this force.

Hasan Turan repeated his  appeal to the United Nations in Iraq to open an office in the Turkmen region. Turan demanded that the UN focus on the planned terror attacks organized against the Turkmen people. Turan indicated that the attacks of terror against Turkmen were not fully reported in the last UN report and that the Turkmen were exposed to an organized conspiracy to obliterate the Turkmen presence.

The statement read by ITF Human Rights Bureau Officer Rüştü Çelebi reported that explosives attacks carried out during the past year 46 Turkmen had been victims of assassination, 12 Turkmen had been abducted while 68  had been martyred in bomb attacks.