Kurdish flag raising in Kirkuk governorate sparks tensions: Turkmen

KIRKUK, Iraq,— The display of the Kurdish flag used by Iraqi Kurds inside the Kirkuk Governorate building during a visit by Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has triggered discontent among Arab and Turkmen communities, while Kurdish officials maintain there was no issue, according to Voice of America (VOA).

Talabani arrived in Kirkuk on Thursday, February 6, 2025, where he was received by Governor Rêbwar Taha at the governorate building.

During a press conference alongside Taha and the head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, Talabani emphasized cooperation, saying, “I am pleased to see unity and coordination within the Kirkuk local government and between the local government and the provincial council in serving the people of Kirkuk.”

Both the Iraqi and Kurdish flags were displayed during the meeting.

Mohammed Hashim, a Turkmen political figure in Kirkuk, told VOA-Kurdish that the presence of the Kurdish flag caused concern among Turkmen residents. “As Turkmens, we believe Kirkuk belongs to the central government and should be administered by all communities.

Until now, Turkmens have not raised their own flag in the governorate building because we believe in Iraq’s unity under the Iraqi flag,” he said.

The Arab and Turkmen fronts both issued statements criticizing the flag’s presence. The Turkmen front stated that “raising the Kurdish flag in the Kirkuk Governorate building violates decisions made by the Iraqi Parliament and judicial authorities.”

Ismail Hadidi, an Arab Sunni leader in Kirkuk, voiced similar concerns. “The issue is that the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region visited Kirkuk not as an Iraqi official, but as if he were coming from a separate entity. The Iraqi flag represents all communities, including Kurds, so there was no need for another flag,” Hadidi told VOA.

The debate over flag-raising in Kirkuk is part of broader political tensions. In 2017, then-Governor Najmaddin Karim ordered the Kurdish flag to be raised over government buildings, a move that faced strong opposition from Arab and Turkmen communities, leading to legal complaints in Baghdad.

Following the October 16, 2017, military operation in which Iraqi forces regained control of disputed territories, the Kurdish flag was formally banned from government buildings in Kirkuk.

Currently, Kurdish political parties continue to display the Kurdish flag over their offices, and some residents raise it on special occasions, but no government institution in Kirkuk has officially reinstated it.

Parwin Fatih, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc, dismissed Arab and Turkmen objections, stating that raising the Kurdish flag during Talabani’s visit was procedural.

“Every time a Kurdish official visits Kirkuk, there are objections. The placement of the Kurdish flag is a protocol matter and a normal procedure,” she said.

The Kurds have a deep cultural and emotional connection to Kirkuk, referring to it as “the Kurdish Jerusalem.” They aim to include Kirkuk in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, arguing that it has historically been a Kurdish city. However, Iraq’s central government rejects this idea. The city is home to a diverse population, including Kurds, Arabs, Christians, and Turkmen.

Analysts suggest that the conflict over Kirkuk is mainly driven by its oil resources, rather than ethnic identity. They argue that the city is a mix of various groups, and all nationalities must learn to coexist.

After the controversial 2017 independence referendum led by Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, the Kurds handed Kirkuk back to the Iraqi government, which many consider the biggest mistakes made by the Iraqi Kurdish leadership in the past century, according to experts.