Expulsion of Iraqis in Kirkuk (2016)

{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Expulsion of Iraqis in Kirkuk (2016)|timestamp=20250521140435|year=2025|month=May|day=21|substed=yes|help=off}}

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = Expulsion of Iraqis in Kirkuk (2016)

| location = Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq

| date = March–November, 2016

| partof = War against the Islamic State

| image = Homes of forcefully evicted Iraqis demolished by Kurdish forces in 2016.jpg

| caption = Homes of expelled Iraqis demolished by Kurdish forces October 2016

| target = Mainly Iraqi Arabs but also Iraqi Turkmens

| type = Ethnic cleansing, Anti-Iraqi sentiment, Forced displacement, Home demolition

| fatalities =

| injuries =

| victims = * 12,000+ families forcibly expelled {{cite news |date=3 November 2016 |title=KRG: Kurdish Forces Ejecting Arabs from Kirkuk |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/03/krg-kurdish-forces-ejecting-arabs-kirkuk |work=Human Rights Watch}} (allegedly)

additional 190 families displaced by Peshmerga and Asayish forces{{cite news |title=Hundreds forced out of Iraq's Kirkuk after attack: Amnesty |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/contenu/20161107-hundreds-forced-out-iraqs-kirkuk-after-attack-amnesty |website=Radio France Internationale |date=7 November 2016 |access-date=21 May 2025}}
Hundreds of homes demolished{{cite report |title=WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GO?|url=https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/kirkuk_briefing.pdf |publisher=Amnesty International |date=April 2017 |page=5}}{{cite news |title=Kurdish authorities accused of evicting Arabs in Iraq's Kirkuk |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/kurdish-authorities-evicting-arabs-kirkuk |website=The New Arab |date=7 November 2016 |access-date=21 May 2025}}

| perpetrator = {{Tree list}}

{{flagicon|Kurdistan}} Kurdistan Regional Government{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/03/krg-kurdish-forces-ejecting-arabs-kirkuk |title=KRG: Kurdish Forces Ejecting Arabs in Kirkuk |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=3 November 2016 |access-date=12 May 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/kurdish-peshmerga-accused-war-crimes-amnesty-international |title=Kurdish Peshmerga accused of war crimes: Amnesty International |publisher=Tamil Guardian |access-date=2025-05-12}}{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/7/kurds-deny-forcing-arabs-from-iraqs-kirkuk |title=Kurds deny forcing Arabs from Iraq's Kirkuk |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=7 November 2016 |access-date=12 May 2025}}{{cite news |title=Kurdish authorities accused of evicting Arabs in Iraq's Kirkuk |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/kurdish-authorities-evicting-arabs-kirkuk |website=The New Arab |date=7 November 2016 |access-date=21 May 2025}}{{cite report |title=WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GO?|url=https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/kirkuk_briefing.pdf |publisher=Amnesty International |date=April 2017 |page=5}}
Peshmerga
File:Flag of Rojava.svg Kurdish groups from Syria/Turkey{{cite web |url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/kurdish-peshmerga-accused-war-crimes-amnesty-international |title=Kurdish Peshmerga accused of war crimes: Amnesty International |publisher=Tamil Guardian}} (sometimes)
{{flagicon image|Flag of HPŞ.svg}} Yazidi militants {{cite web |url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/kurdish-peshmerga-accused-war-crimes-amnesty-international |title=Kurdish Peshmerga accused of war crimes: Amnesty International |publisher=Tamil Guardian}} (sometimes)

}}

The expulsion of Iraqis in Kirkuk (2016) refers to the forced expulsions of thousands of Iraqi residents from Kirkuk Governorate in northern Iraq during 2016, primarily following military operations by Kurdish forces. The expulsions, which involved the destruction of homes and the forcible removal of Arab and Turkmen families, became a point of international controversy, with accusations of ethnic cleansing.

Background

In 2016, following the ISIS offensive and the eventual Kurdish capture of Kirkuk, the region became increasingly ethnically and politically charged. Kurdish forces began expelling Arab and Turkmen residents from the area, particularly those who were suspected of sympathizing with ISIS, or were caught in the power struggle between Kurdish and Arab factions.

Forced Expulsions

Throughout 2016, there were reports of Kurdish forces demolishing Arab homes,{{cite news |title=Kirkuk: Kurdish authorities demolish Arab refugee homes |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161027-kirkuk-kurdish-authorities-demolish-arab-refugee-homes/ |website=Middle East Monitor |date=27 October 2016 |access-date=21 May 2025}}{{cite report |title=WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GO?|url=https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/kirkuk_briefing.pdf |publisher=Amnesty International |date=April 2017 |page=5}}{{cite news |title=Kurdish authorities accused of evicting Arabs in Iraq's Kirkuk |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/kurdish-authorities-evicting-arabs-kirkuk |website=The New Arab |date=7 November 2016 |access-date=21 May 2025}} forcibly removing residents, and displacing entire families. These actions were particularly prominent after the military push to retake Kirkuk from ISIS and consolidate Kurdish control over the region. One example was the village of Qutan, where over 375 Arab families were reportedly displaced.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/16/iraqs-sunni-arabs-you-cant-go-home-again|title=Iraq: 'Where are we supposed to go?' Destruction and forced displacement in Kirkuk|author=Human Rights Watch|date=2016-11-16}}

The United Nations raised concerns over these actions, stating that they amounted to collective punishment and were in violation of international human rights law.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/un-concerned-about-collective-punishment-of-arabs-in-kirkuk-idUSKCN12P1M3/ |title=U.N. concerned about 'collective punishment' of Arabs in Kirkuk |date=2016-10-11}}

Kurdish Government's Denial

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) denied the accusations,{{cite news |title=Concerns of collective punishment as Sunni Arabs flee Iraqi city of Kirkuk |url=https://www.iraqoilreport.com/daily-brief/concerns-collective-punishment-sunni-arabs-flee-iraqi-city-kirkuk-20148/ |website=Iraq Oil Report |date=October 26, 2016 |access-date=21 May 2025}} claiming that the removal of Arab families was due to security concerns related to ISIS and that the actions were not ethnically motivated. The KRG asserted that their primary objective was the safety and security of Kirkuk residents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/7/kurds-deny-forcing-arabs-from-iraqs-kirkuk|title=Kurds deny forcing Arabs from Iraq's Kirkuk|author=Al Jazeera|date=2016-11-07}}

International Reactions

International organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned the actions of Kurdish forces, calling them violations of human rights and international law. These organizations documented the destruction of Arab homes and the displacement of families, labeling the actions as consistent with ethnic cleansing.{{Cite news|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/iraq-kurdish-authorities-bulldoze-homes-and-banish-hundreds-of-arabs-from-kirkuk|title=Iraq: Kurdish authorities bulldoze homes and banish hundreds of Arabs from Kirkuk|author=Amnesty International|date=2016-11-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/11/16/iraqs-sunni-arabs-you-cant-go-home-again|title=Iraq: 'Where are we supposed to go?' Destruction and forced displacement in Kirkuk|author=Human Rights Watch|date=2016-11-16}}

Expulsion of Iraqis in Kirkuk (2016)

Background

Forced Expulsions

Kurdish Government's Denial

International Reactions

See also

References