SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdish and Turkmen farmers in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk launched protests on Friday against a decision made by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.
Farmers from Kirkuk’s Topzawa village protested against a ministerial decision of the Defense Ministry, Esta Media Network reporter said.
The protest took place before Kirkuk International Airport.
The Ministry of Defense has reportedly offered agricultural lands that belong to the Kurdish farmers to an investor to build a residential complex.
The farmers refuse to vacate the lands, stressing their rights, according to the reporter’s words. They had demonstrated documents and clues that the lands belong to the farmers’ ancestors.
“The farmers are unwilling to give up on their demand,” the reporter added.
Kirkuk lies in an oil-rich and ethnically mixed part of the country. Control over the city has been contested by Kurdish and Iraqi authorities.
