Turkmen blame Kurdish groups for conflict in Kirkuk
NTV 14.07.2005
The Iraqi Turkmen said they support the continuity of special status for Iraq and added that the control of Kirkuk should be given to them. Ongoing violence in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk has been prompted by the actions of Kurdish groups, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Turkmen Front.The statement from Iraqi Turkmen Front's representative in Ankara said that the organisation was saddened by the terror and violence in the region. "The rebellions, whom we do not approve at all, are trying to make use of the Turkmen," the statement said.Iraq's Turkmen community has repeatedly said that the country's Kurdish groups are trying to drive them out of Kirkuk and gain control of the oil rich region. Ankara has also expressed its deep concern over attempts to change the demography of the region.
