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| Iraq | |
| Kurds, Iraqi militia battle it out in Salahuddin | |
| 2016-04-25 | |
| (IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – On Sunday, a security source in Tuz District revealed, that violent clashes have broken out between the members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi and Peshmerga forces in the district, while pointed out that these clashes cut the road between Baghdad and Kirkuk. The source reported for IraqiNews.com, “Armed clashes broke out between the members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi and Peshmerga forces due to a dispute between them, and resulted in a number of injuries,” pointing out that, “These clashes cut the road linking between Baghdad and Kirkuk.” The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added, “The citizens were banned from leaving their houses because of the explosions, gunshots and mortar shells.” “We are exercising great efforts to rectify the situation and prevent the escalation of tension in the district,” the source continued. Kurd brigade commander dies (IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – A security source in Tuz District revealed on Sunday, that the Deputy Commander of the Peshmerga’s 5th brigade was killed during the armed clashed that broke out in the district. The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “The armed clashes that broke out between the members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi and Peshmerga forces led to the killing of the Deputy Commander of the Peshmerga’s 5th brigade Colonel Azad Sairwan Shaklawi,” pointing out that, “Seven members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi were wounded during the clashes.” The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added, “The military troops and tanks are besieging a number of residential neighborhoods in the district,” indicating that, “The snipers were positioned above the buildings.” Iraqi militia destroys 2 Kurd armor vehicles (IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – An informed source announced on Sunday the killing of the commander of the Kurdish force that stormed Tuz District, while pointed out that al-Hashd al-Turkmani destructed two tanks belonging to the Peshmerga forces. The source said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “The forces from al-Hashd al-Turkmani targeted two tanks belonging to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Tuz District, and burned the two tanks completely,” pointing out that, “The commander of the Kurdish force that stormed Tuz Khurmatu was killed during the clashes.” The statement added, “Military reinforcements from al-Hashd al-Shaabi arrived in the logistic support camp in Berawgla to protect it from any possible attack.” Aaand it's over (IraqiNews.com) Salahuddin – On Sunday, Head of Salahuddin Provincial Council Ahmed Karim announced, that an agreement had been reached to order ceasefire in Tuz Khurmatu District. Karim said in a brief statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “The two parties agreed to [declare] ceasefire.” Earlier today, Head of Salahuddin Provincial Council Ahmed Karim and the Police Chief General Damen al-Jubouri arrived in Tuz Khurmatu to defuse the situation in the district.
Kurdish peshmerga forces and Turkmen Shiite paramilitaries were Sunday engaged in clashes that have killed nine people in a flashpoint town and closed the highway to Baghdad, officials said. Tuz Khurmatu, part of a swathe of territory claimed by both Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region and Baghdad, has been divided between Turkmen and Kurds since fighting erupted between the two sides last year. A peshmerga brigadier general and another fighter and two members of Turkmen forces were among the nine people killed, said Shallal Abdul Baban, the Kurdish official responsible for the area. A colonel in the Tuz Khurmatu police gave the same toll, and said that the highway to Baghdad was closed by forces involved in the fighting. The clashes between the peshmerga and the Turkmen, who belong to a militia umbrella organisation known as the Hashed al-Shaabi, began around midnight and continued into Sunday, officials said. Karim Shukur, an official from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, said the trouble began when a member of the Hashed al-Shaabi threw a grenade at one of its headquarters in Tuz Khurmatu, wounding peshmerga fighters. The Hashed al-Shaabi meanwhile blamed the Kurds for the unrest, saying in a statement that the clashes started after Kurdish forces targeted one of their headquarters in the town. Both the peshmerga and the Turkmen fighters are battling the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014. But Kurdish forces and the Hashed al-Shaabi are vying for influence in some areas, a contest that has led to violence in Tuz Khurmatu. The fighting last November began as a dispute at a checkpoint that escalated into clashes inside Tuz Khurmatu. Dozens of homes were burned, and the town has been split between Kurdish and Turkmen areas, with neighbourhood minority residents moving back across the ethnic divide. Baghdad turned to the Hashed al-Shaabi, which is dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, to help stem the jihadists' 2014 advance and later push them back. Kurdish forces also battled the jihadists in the north, but have largely fought independently of federal troops. | |
| Posted by:badanov |