{"id":812,"date":"2017-09-23T09:58:54","date_gmt":"2017-09-23T09:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madaresharghi.com\/tensions-rise-in-kirkuk-ahead-of-kurdistan-independence-referendum\/"},"modified":"2017-09-23T09:58:54","modified_gmt":"2017-09-23T09:58:54","slug":"tensions-rise-in-kirkuk-ahead-of-kurdistan-independence-referendum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/tensions-rise-in-kirkuk-ahead-of-kurdistan-independence-referendum\/","title":{"rendered":"Tensions rise in Kirkuk ahead of Kurdistan independence referendum"},"content":{"rendered":"

madaresharghi<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

In the disputed city of Kirkuk, hoisting the Kurdish flag is a controversial matter. Both Baghdad and Erbil lay claim to this oil-rich province.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tThe central government of Iraq sees Kurdistan’s decision to include Kirkuk in the September 25 independence referendum as an effort to annex the area. In the city’s main market, many people are worried about an uncertain future, france24.com reported.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe people of Kirkuk are afraid because of this referendum,” said one stallholder. “They don\u2019t want to go through the same instability like in Mosul, Tikrit or Anbar.”<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong those opposed to the Kurds’ push to hold the referendum in Kirkuk are the Arab and Turkmen communities, who fear their own interests could be undermined.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut some of Kirkuk’s youth have hope in the city’s long history of diversity.<\/p>\n

\n\t“Every day I speak three languages,” said Mourad, a young Turkmen musician.<\/p>\n

\n\t“When I meet a Kurd I speak Kurdish; when I meet an Arab I speak Arabic. I’ve known my friends for 20 years and we’ve never given much thought to the fact we are from different ethnic groups.”<\/p>\n

\n\tShould tensions spill into violence, the contested province of Kirkuk is likely to be the epicenter of a new civil war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

madaresharghi In the disputed city of Kirkuk, hoisting the Kurdish flag is a controversial matter. Both Baghdad and Erbil lay claim to this oil-rich province. The central government of Iraq sees Kurdistan’s decision to include Kirkuk in the September 25 independence referendum as an effort to annex the area. In the city’s main market, many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[639],"yoast_head":"\nTensions rise in Kirkuk ahead of Kurdistan independence referendum - madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/tensions-rise-in-kirkuk-ahead-of-kurdistan-independence-referendum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tensions rise in Kirkuk ahead of Kurdistan independence referendum - madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"madaresharghi In the disputed city of Kirkuk, hoisting the Kurdish flag is a controversial matter. Both Baghdad and Erbil lay claim to this oil-rich province. The central government of Iraq sees Kurdistan’s decision to include Kirkuk in the September 25 independence referendum as an effort to annex the area. 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