Iraq’s Kurdish parties threaten federal court over Khanaqin district move

2026-02-26 - 11:33

Shafaq News- Erbil Kurdish parties active in Iraq’s disputed territories on Thursday rejected a federal decision to convert subdistricts in Khanaqin into independent districts under Diyala province, calling it demographic and political targeting. The stance followed an expanded meeting in Erbil under the Committee on Kurdistani Areas outside the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Administrative Area. Committee head Fahmi Burhan revealed in a press conference that all Kurdish forces agreed on a unified response to what he described as “an attempt to isolate Khanaqin’s historic center.” “If no political and administrative solution is reached, we will file a case before the Federal Supreme Court,” Burhan said, adding that coordination is underway with the Kurdistan Region presidency and Kurdish officials in Baghdad to halt the decision. A general strike on Wednesday shut markets and state institutions in Khanaqin in protest against the changes, despite the areas being covered by Article 140 of the 2005 Constitution, which prescribes normalization, census, and referendum to determine the status of disputed territories. Days earlier, Diyala authorities approved converting Jalawla into a district and separating Saadiyah from Khanaqin before suspending the move. Acting Planning Minister Khalid Battal Al-Najm later issued a ministerial order formally establishing Jalawla as a district, following a 2024 vote by Diyala’s provincial council approving the upgrade. This is a breaking story...