Iraqi Turkmen Front office attacked by gunmen in northern Kirkuk


Unidentified assailants attacked an office of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) in Kirkuk city late Monday, local police said.

Kirkuk Police Department spokesperson Afrasyav Kamil told Anadolu Agency that people armed with RPGs and automatic rifles attacked ITF's office in the Musalla neighborhood of Kirkuk.

Police arrived following the attack and cordoned off the area while an investigation was launched to detain the suspects, Kamil added.

Mutasam Kasapoğlu, who is in charge of ITF's Musalla office, said there were no casualties but there is material damage.

Kasapoğlu said armed attacks against ITF's offices are increasing and they want their offices to be protected by government forces.

"We want these kinds of attacks to be prevented by counter-terror police forces," he stressed.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the attack on "Turkmen kin," issuing a statement saying:

"We strongly condemn this abominable attack, and note that it is an appropriate development that the Iraqi Terror Fighting Forces and the Federal Police elements should be transferred to the region and take necessary security measures after the attack."

The ministry also called on Iraq to bring perpetrators of violence to justice and prevent repeat incidents, following multiple attacks in recent months.

"We repeat our call to take the necessary measures as soon as possible for the security of the Turkmens, who constitute an essential element of Iraq. Turkmen are not alone, and we are determined to protect their rights," the statement added.

More than 20 Turkmens in Kirkuk, including several politicians and professors, have been killed in attacks in the past four months.

Earlier this year, leading ITF member Alaa Eddine al-Salihi was gunned down in Kirkuk's Al-Askari neighborhood by unknown assailants.

The most recent murder was that of Ali Almas, a Turkmen intellectual and professor at Kirkuk University.

Iraqi Turkmen, also known as Iraqi Turks, are a Turkic-speaking minority whose total population is estimated at some 3 million.

The Turkmen Front occupies two out of 328 seats in the Iraqi parliament and nine out of 41 seats in the Kirkuk provincial council.

Since October, Iraqi forces have controlled the entire province of Kirkuk following the withdrawal of Peshmerga forces from the region.