SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Thousands of dunams of wheat and barley crops were torched this month in Kirkuk, Ninevah, Salahuddin and Diyala provinces, adding agony to the harsh lives of Iraqi farmers and raising the question of who is really behind the fires. 

The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for 13 fires, and described the fields as being owned by “infidels.” However, some Kurds accuse Arabs in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil of incinerating Kurdish farmers' fields. Erbil is the seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The Iraqi Agriculture Ministry said in a statement that the fires are “deliberate” and established a crisis unit to follow up the incidents in the affected Iraqi provinces.

On May 14, Kurdish residents of Palkana village, home to nearly 25 families in western Kirkuk, claimed that hundreds of Sunni Arabs from the Shamar tribe forcefully stormed the village and asked them to leave. Both sides claim ownership of agricultural lands in the area. Kurdish villagers responded by contacting the Iraqi army, which later on prevented clashes between both sides. After the incident, hundreds of dunams of grain crops were burned down in several villages of the Sargaran area east of Qarachuq Mountain — near Makhour town — where IS militants are still active.