Iraqi intelligence has warned the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) that the PKK terror group could attack their political parties in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, a spokesperson for the ITC revealed on Thursday.

The terrorist group has threatened to assassinate officials from the ITC, as well as other political parties, and launch attacks on their headquarters, Mohammed Saman told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"We have been warned of potential attacks not only in Kirkuk but also in other regions in Iraq housing mostly Turkmens," Saman said, adding that the Kirkuk police began taking precautions upon said threats and stationed patrol cars in front of ITC buildings.

The PKK has camps near Halo Bazyan, Qarahanjir, and Altun Kupri towns north of Kirkuk, the ITC spokesperson noted. "These base camps are pretty far from Kirkuk but they are outside of the control of the Iraqi army and security forces. The terrorists hold armed training at these camps."

According to Saman, the PKK has also begun operating under the label of a so-called "non-governmental organization" in Kirkuk.

All information has been disclosed to the various branches of the Iraqi government, and the Iraqi government "has taken no action against the terrorist group", Saman explained.

Accusing the Iraqi administration of being "inadequate and weak" in protecting the Turkmen community, Saman said, "They failed to protect the Turkmens despite dozens of Turkmen officials being killed by the PKK. Iraqi Turkmens have been abandoned to their fate."

He called on the Iraqi government to protect the Turkmen community and the headquarters of their political parties.

"It’s so nonsensical that a terrorist organization is allowed to exist on Iraqi soil. Turkmens will use all their legal rights against threats like these. We will not be limited to just statements or interviews. We will hold a big rally in Kirkuk if we have to," Saman said.

The ITC suffered a big loss on March 3 when the former head of its Security Department, Ahmet Tahir, was assassinated in his car.

ITC chief Hasan Turan said the PKK was behind the attack and called on the Iraqi government to send a high-level delegation to Kirkuk and launch an investigation.

He underlined that such attacks would not deter the Turkmen community from maintaining their presence in Kirkuk.

Türkiye too condemned Tahir’s assassination, saying, "This terrorist act targets not only the peace and security of Turkmens, one of the constituent and primary components of Iraq but also Iraq’s stability," and called on Iraqi authorities to "immediately identify the perpetrators of this attack and bring them to justice."

The Iraqi Turkmen, also known as Iraqi Turks, are a Turkic-speaking minority whose total population is estimated to be around 3 million. The oil-rich Irbil-Kirkuk region of northern Iraq has been a battleground for competing forces since the United States-led ouster of President Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The greater Turkmen community shares close cultural and linguistic affinities with the Turkish people.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over the Daesh terrorist group by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, estimated to be about one-third of the country's territory. However, the PKK, recognized as a terror group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, remains active in the region.

The Turkmen community has long lamented the group’s growing threat and activities in Kirkuk, which began to take off in early 2022 when terrorists fleeing Operation Winter Eagle carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) across Iraq and Syria infiltrated Kirkuk disguised as artisans and began to settling there at a rapid pace.

Securing Turkmen votes

The threat of PKK is another on a long list of grievances Iraq’s Turkmen have with the national administration. The community, Iraq’s third-largest ethnic group, has struggled to assert its presence and shield its political rights since the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Besides being excluded from government meetings on Kirkuk and other disputed regions, the Iraqi Turkmens are also concerned about the changes in voter demography in Kirkuk for the upcoming elections.

Arshad Salihi, the head of the Turkmen Group in Iraq’s Council of Representatives, said a potential alteration in Article 35 of Iraq’s new election law draft worried Turkmens.

"We want the votes of Kirkuk residents to be guaranteed and the fact that hundreds of thousands of people from outside Kirkuk will be voting in the general elections," Salihi said.

The results of the Nov. 6 elections will be pivotal for Kirkuk, he pointed out, stressing that the government must do its part to ensure the elections occur in a "decent and unambiguous" environment.

The U.N. played a key role in previous election law drafts and regulations and the Iraqi Turkmen community expects the world body to show a similar positive approach at this stage, according to Salihi.

"Turkmens will reject any wrong and negative step that will be taken regarding the future of Kirkuk, and will not be late in declaring their stance against any changes to articles in the election law concerning Kirkuk," he stressed.

On Wednesday, Turkmens and Arabs demanded a reinvestigation of electoral registries in Kirkuk ahead of Nov. 6.

Iraqi parliament passed certain items in the new election law on March 20 and is set to vote on other articles on March 25.