The heads of the Kurdistan Region and federal governments in Iraq attempted on Wednesday to defuse election tensions in the disputed city of Kirkuk.
On Monday night, tens of Kurdish youth in Kirkuk celebrated in the streets after the preliminary results from the Iraqi election were released. The Kurdish parties won six of the 12 seats in the city, which also has sizable Arab and Turkmen communities. Police accused the group of damaging property, and security forces allegedly dispatched a convoy of military trucks to break up the celebrations. They also arrested tens of Kurdish residents, the Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reported.
