KDP donates former headquarters in Kirkuk to university

Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, has decided to donate its former headquarters in Kirkuk governorate to the University of Kirkuk. The party's president presided over a meeting of the party's Central Committee earlier in the day, attended by his first deputy, Nechirvan Barzani, and his second deputy, Masrour Barzani, as announced in a statement issued after the meeting.

The former headquarters now serves as the Joint Operations Command center in the disputed areas between Erbil and Baghdad. The Iraqi government had intended to evacuate and return the building to the party, but Arab and Turkmen protesters demonstrated and camped outside it, preventing this action.

The KDP, under Masoud Barzani's leadership, aims to regain and reopen its facilities in Kirkuk after being closed for six years. This comes amidst opposition to the party's return to the governorate, particularly from the Turkmen Front and the Arab Alliance, especially as provincial council elections approach.

Kirkuk, inhabited by a mix of Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs, and Christians, is one of the key disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil.

On October 16, 2017, federal forces redeployed to Kirkuk and other disputed areas previously under Peshmerga control after the Kurdistan Region held an independence referendum. As a result, the KDP permanently vacated its 33 premises, including the advanced headquarters occupied by the Joint Operations Command in Kirkuk.

The issue of the KDP regaining its facilities in Kirkuk and Article 140 areas is part of the State Administration Coalition's agreement, which formed the government of Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. The agreement also involves handing over their administration to a local police force composed of the city's indigenous residents.

The State Administration Coalition is a political alliance formed in September 2023, comprising the Coordination Framework (Shia political forces except for the Sadrists), all Sunni forces represented by the "Azm" and "Al-Siyada" alliances, as well as the two Kurdish parties, the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and the Babylon Movement representing Christians.