Iraq’s Interior Ministry approves formation of Kirkuk’s Emergency Battalion

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Interior Ministry has approved Monday the formation of another battalion, to be added to the 3 emergency battalions of northern Iraq’s oil-rich city of Kirkuk, the Commander of Kirkuk Police stated on Tuesday. “The Interior Ministry has agreed for the formation of another battalion, to be added to the three emergency battalions of Kirkuk and the Ministry shall appoint necessary staff to fill in the forms of appointment, existing on the Ministry’s electronic position,” Major-General Jamal Taher told a news conference today (Tuesday), adding that the appointments shall be chosen from among graduates of primary schools and above. He pointed out that “another company had been added to the so-called Golden Lion Forces, formed by the Iraqi Army, Kurdish Peshmerga and Kirkuk Police, who had started its training to protect leading positions.” “Kirkuk Police has had a joint coordination with the Iraqi Army and other security bodies, who have plans to fight terrorism before the withdrawal of the US forces, scheduled to take place at the end December next,” Major-General Taher said, adding that “all security bodies in Kirkuk Province would be under the administration of Kirkuk Police Directorate, according to an order by the Iraqi Interior Ministry.” As regards to Kirkuk‘s Turkoman fears after the US withdrawal from Iraq, he poined out that “all components of Kirkuk and not only Turkomen have been targets (by terrorists), before and after the scheduled US withdrawal,” adding that “there is coordination between terrorist groups in the Province, including al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Sunna, Ansar al-Islam and the Naqshabandiya group.” Answering a question by IraqiNews.com news agency, regarding the handing over of al-Hurriya Base after the US troops departure from Kirkuk, Major-General Taher said: “Al-Hurriya base is situated within the Kirkuk Municipality, and the security dossier is the resposibility of the Police forces; so, it’s better that it would be handed over to the Police, thing that we have already demanded.” A Kirkuk Police source, who asked not to be named, told IraqiNews.com that “there is a dialogue between the Emergency Police and the Iraqi Air Force about the said base.” Kirkuk is 280 km to the northeast of Baghdad. SKH (ST)Number of Reads:155