Kurds unite against Baghdad's border redraw

Shafaq News – Diyala

On Tuesday, Kurdish parties in Diyala province reaffirmed their opposition to the Iraqi government's decision to upgrade Qara Tappa to a district and annex nearby areas, including parts of Khanaqin.

A source who attended the parties' meeting at the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) Khanaqin headquarters told Shafaq News that participants called the decision a political move aimed at undermining the Kurdish presence and weakening Khanaqin’s administrative cohesion. The parties agreed to pursue all available legal, constitutional, and public avenues to prevent its implementation.

The attendees described the decision as a clear violation of Iraq’s constitution, particularly Article 140, the source said. “Take Koks, for instance—it has been administratively part of the Garmian administration and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) since 2003. Yet the Iraqi Ministry of Planning now seeks to annex it to the newly formed Qara Tappa district.”

Article 140 classifies Khanaqin, Qara Tappa, and Koks as disputed territories, requiring a legal and constitutional process before any change to their administrative status.

On July 2, the Ministry of Planning announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Planning Minister Mohammed Ali Tamim had approved the establishment of the district.

The Garmian administration voiced its rejection of the federal government’s plan, calling it “political and unconstitutional”.