Kurds Fear ‘Arabization’ of Iraq’s Kirkuk

A member of Iraqi security forces takes down the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk, Iraq. (Reuters)
A member of Iraqi security forces takes down the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk, Iraq. (Reuters)
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Kurds Fear ‘Arabization’ of Iraq’s Kirkuk

A member of Iraqi security forces takes down the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk, Iraq. (Reuters)
A member of Iraqi security forces takes down the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk, Iraq. (Reuters)

It appears that the Iraqi federal authority's recapturing of Kirkik from Kurdish control has not ended the disputes that have plagued the oil-rich region since the collapse of the former regime.

Successive governments have failed to resolve differences between the region’s population of Turkmen, Kurds and Arabs. Signs of a new crisis erupting began to emerge with Kurds voicing their concern with Arabs and Turkmen seizing public posts at their expense and with the support of the Iraqi government.

Members of the Kurdish council in the region voiced their fears that Iraqi authorities would continue the process of “Arabizing” the province amid the absence of a Kurdish governor and the unlikelihood that the post will be filled any time soon.

The Kurdish governor, Najmeddine Karim, had fled Kirkuk in wake of the Iraqi forces’ October operation to regain control of the region.

Council member Ahmed al-Askari told Kurdish media that the absence of this governor is being exploited once again by some sides to once again launch the “Arabization” policy that was adopted by the previous regime of Saddam Hussein.

Asharq Al-Awsat could not confirm his claims of “Arabization.”

“Baghdad has started the process and the government issued a decree allowing Arab Shi’ites to transfer their jobs to Kirkuk,” Askari said.

They have also been allowed to change their personal status to Kirkuk and allowed Kurds to transfer their status outside the province, he continued.

Turkmen officials in the province agreed with the Kurdish view on the latest developments in Kirkuk despite their opposition to the actions of Karim.

Turkman official Hassan Touran told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We oppose any demographic change in the province, whether in ‘Arabization’ as practiced by the old regime or ‘Kurdization’ as adopted by the former governor.”

He instead voiced his support for coexistence in the region, demanding that normalization measures be put in place so that all locals can live together in peace.



Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israel's army on Sunday confirmed it was calling up "tens of thousands" of reservists to expand its war in Gaza, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said.

"This week we are issuing tens of thousands of orders to our reservists to intensify and expand our operation in Gaza," Zamir said in a statement, adding the army would destroy all Hamas infrastructure, "both on the surface and underground.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the expansion of the Gaza offensive and a possible resumption of aid into the besieged enclave, two government officials said.
In a video message posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, hours after part of a missile launched from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia fell close to Israel's main gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said he was convening the security cabinet to discuss "the next stage" of the war in Gaza.
It was unclear if the ministers will give final approval at the meeting.
Already in control of almost a third of Gaza's territory, Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.
Ministers have justified the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied. At the same time, Israel has faced warnings of famine in Gaza as supplies run low.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported last week that a new plan was in the works by which aid will soon be distributed by private foreign companies, rather than UN agencies, in a new designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza area of Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks.
New aid plans will be discussed at Sunday's security cabinet meeting, two officials said.
Aid has been a contested issue within the Israeli leadership and defense establishment for months. The military has pushed back against calls by some politicians who want Israel to seize Gaza for good and have Israeli soldiers hand out aid.