Kirkuk Tevgera Azadi Co-President Nevzat Bekir stated that foreign powers were inciting the clashes in Xurmatu. Bekir noted that Turkey and Iran were the major powers inciting these clashes, and were receiving support from fractions within Iraq.
Kirkuk Tevgera Azadi (Freedom Movement) Co-President Nevzat Bekir stated that Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens have been co-existing in Xurmatu without any clashes, and the problems in the region increased after 2003. Bekir said that Iran and Turkey were trying to increase their influence in the region and were responsible for the clashes and problems in the district.
Speakig to ANF, Bekir stated that İran was inciting clashes not only in Xurmatu but also in Saadiye, Jalawla and Xaneqin. Bekir noted that the Turkish state was trying to carry out similar strategies through its use of Turkmens in the region. According to Bekir, such foreign interventions were at the core of the clashes in the region, and forced thousands of civilians to migrate from the district.
Nevzat Bekir emphasized that as Tevgera Azadi, they wanted the solution of the problems through dialogue. Bekir added that the clashes harmed not only the Kurds but also other peoples in the region. He called upon the KDP and PUK to take a more active stance on the issue, and the region was going through a historic period because of the danger of attacks targeting the Kurds.
Tevgera Azadi Co-President noted that if the clashes in Xurmatu continue, they would soon threaten Kirkuk. Lastly, Bekir called upon Kurdish people to be vigilant and take the necessary precautions in order to prevent the development of a conflict in Xurmatu that resembles the occupation of Shengal.
