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Mediations in Iraq’s Kirkuk Seek to Defuse Tensions

Vehicles move along a road in Iraq's multi-ethnic northern city of Kirkuk (disputed between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad) on September 5, 2023. (AFP)
Vehicles move along a road in Iraq's multi-ethnic northern city of Kirkuk (disputed between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad) on September 5, 2023. (AFP)
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Mediations in Iraq’s Kirkuk Seek to Defuse Tensions

Vehicles move along a road in Iraq's multi-ethnic northern city of Kirkuk (disputed between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad) on September 5, 2023. (AFP)
Vehicles move along a road in Iraq's multi-ethnic northern city of Kirkuk (disputed between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad) on September 5, 2023. (AFP)

Military vehicles carrying soldiers and special forces, and riot police arrived in Kirkuk amid reports that a Kurdish protest was being planned in the Iraqi city.

A senior officer said the security forces have received orders from top officials to prevent any unlicensed protest.

The pro-Iran Coordination Framework and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have agreed for leader of the Sovereignty coalition, Khamis Khanjar, and others to play a mediator role to defuse tensions in Kirkuk, said informed sources.

Khanjar arrived in the city on Thursday to attend a meeting of the local security committee and pave the way for dialogue and an end to the protest movement that may undermine stability.

Khanjar had also received a statement from the KDP that underlines that it was not involved in any of the protests.

The mediations have so far managed to restore calm, but the roots of the problem remain.

Supporters of the KDP believe that the restored calm is a “blow to their presence in Kirkuk” as their Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) rival prepares to consolidate its power in the city given its growing rapprochement with Shiite factions.

The PUK and Shiite factions appear to be siding together against their “common enemy”, KDP leader Masoud Barzani. However, settling scores in such an ethnically diverse city such as Kirkuk would be “playing with fire”, said a local government official.

Kirkuk was supposed to be subject to article 140 of the constitution that would call for a census and referendum over its fate. However, after the Iraqi federal forces seized control of the city in 2016, the Shiite factions believe that the application of the article was no longer necessary.

As it stands, the Coordination Framework and KDP have agreed to allow Khanjar to play the role of mediator.

The Framework is not seeking a decisive solution to the situation in Kirkuk, but they want to secure calm long enough for local elections to be held, tentatively at the end of the year.

The informed sources said the political contacts between the various parties have eased the tensions, but they are unable to decisively resolve the dispute.

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Yemen's Houthis Allege US Airstrike Hit a Prison Holding African Migrants

Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH
Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH
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Yemen's Houthis Allege US Airstrike Hit a Prison Holding African Migrants

Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH
Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH

Yemen’s Houthi militant group on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing and wounding some of the 100 inmates held there. The US military had no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decadelong war.

It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the group as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

The US military's Central Command in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign.

“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.”

It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada.

Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion

Graphic footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. An al-Masirah correspondent said some 100 migrants had been detained at the site.

Casualty figures weren’t immediately clear. However, footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.

A woman's voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.

US military says over 800 strikes conducted in campaign so far

Meanwhile, US airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen's capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign.

The overnight statement from the US military's Central Command also said its “Operation Roughrider” targeting the Houthis had “killed hundreds of fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials.

“Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. “The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.”

"We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region," it added.

The US is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis also are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.