Iraq's Turkmen areas become battlefield in Kurdish referendum debate
Turkmen areas in Iraq have become a battleground between Arabs and Kurds to exert influence over them, while the Turkmens are concerned about the inclusion of these areas in the Kurdistan referendum on independence.
The Iraqi Turkmen Front, the largest political party representing the minority Turkmen ethnic group, has reiterated its objection to the Kurdistan referendum scheduled for Sept. 25. In a statement issued July 29, the front stressed that the fate of Kirkuk — a particularly disputed province that is set to be included in the referendum — "must be decided by the Iraqi parliament." In Kirkuk, Kurds account for 52% of the population, while Arabs, Turkmens and Christians combined account for 48%. The referendum also includes other areas of contention, including ones considered by the Turkmens as their own.
The Turkmen objection to the referendum goes in line with the position of the Iraqi government, which announced July 20 its rejection of the referendum. This raises the possibility of a war erupting in the region between the Iraqi security forces and the armed factions supporting them on the one hand and the peshmerga forces on the other. This would force Turkmens to take sides and would place their areas on the confrontation lines between the two parties.
