Al-Sulaymaniyah celebrates Kurdish forces' triumph in disputed cities

Shafaq News / With the initial results of the Provincial Council elections announced this Tuesday evening, the citizens of al-Sulaymaniyah took to Salim Street to celebrate the Kurdish forces' triumph in the disputed territories and their majority win in Kirkuk.

Reportedly, dozens of al-Sulaymaniyah residents rejoiced over the Kurdish parties' victory in Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Saladin.

Citizen Fakher Azaddin believes that the advancement of Kurdish forces in those regions "means reinforcing their Kurdish identity in those areas, proving their Kurdistan affiliation", and emphasized that the Democratic Party of Kurdistan's progress in Nineveh, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Kirkuk and Khanaqin (Diyala), constitutes a genuine gain for Kurds and should mark a new starting point for Kurdish unity, particularly beyond the borders of the Kurdistan Region.

Azaddin called upon all Kurdish political entities to "set aside their differences and unite for the fate of the Kurdish regions outside the region and work together to annex them to the Kurdistan Region."

The Democratic Party of Kurdistan secured second place in Nineveh with 127,938 votes, 46,749 votes in Kirkuk, and 6,804 votes in Diyala.

Meanwhile, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan achieved first place in Kirkuk with 139,373 votes, 23,715 in Diyala, and 45,939 in Nineveh. Additionally, other Kurdish parties garnered votes across these provinces, and the Independent High Electoral Commission declared the preliminary results of the Provincial Council elections conducted on Monday in all Iraqi provinces except the Kurdistan Region this Tuesday evening.