Al-Asi: We support the Iraqi army’s measures to maintain security and prevent friction in contact areas

Member of the House of Representatives, Sheikh Wasfi Al-Assi, representative of the Arabs of Kirkuk, rejected the political statements and positions that affect the Iraqi army in Kirkuk Governorate, especially while it is performing its duty to prevent the occurrence of tensions or political exploitation of the rights of farmers in Balkana area of Dibs district. He said in a statement issued by his office, 'We have seen escalatory positions supported by media campaigns aimed at fanning the fire of strife between Arabs and Kurds in Balkana and insults towards the Iraqi army, the most recent of which was issued by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, MP for Kirkuk, Shakhwan Abdullah, who described the Arab farmers as immigrants, and they are owners of the land, their regions and homes were destroyed, which came as part of a systematic campaign for days to sow discord between the Arab and Kurdish brothers for decades, invest it politically, and exploit it in the media, anticipating platforms and personalities, to try to weaken the national military institution and export the internal crises from which they suffer, to spread national conflicts. He affirmed his full and steadfast support for the Iraqi army and its leadership and for resorting to the just judiciary and its executive decisions to restore rights and not exploit them politically, especially after what was proven in the region and in general of Kirkuk, the professionalism of the federal forces and their fairness with all components of Kirkuk, holding all legal consequences for those who seek to incite strife or the remnants that will result, God forbid, from exploiting them by terrorists and their targeting of the Iraqi army. Al-Asi called for the need for the Iraqi government and the executive authorities to intervene to do justice to the farmers and ensure their return to their areas from which they were expelled or whose villages were subjected to demolition, and to compensate them in a way that contributes to establishing the stability of Kirkuk and th e security of its people. Source: National Iraqi News Agency