Disputed areas around Kirkuk see fresh Article 140 dispute after KDP, PUK remarks

DIYALA, Iraq — Khanaqin, a disputed area adjacent to Kirkuk, has become the focus of a renewed political dispute after officials from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) called for the implementation of Iraq's constitutional Article 140 and raised post-2017 demographic changes in the district. The remarks drew political and public backlash, with some groups rejecting the article and urging legal action against figures who adopted the position. The Diyala provincial council decided to convene an emergency session on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, summoning the district administrator to address the latest developments. Earlier, Kurdish parties met in Khanaqin on Sunday and decided to organize a civilian demonstration in support of Article 140, with participants carrying the Iraqi and Kurdistan flags side by side and writing slogans in both Arabic and Kurdish. Tensions escalated after Abu Munthir al-Delawi, a former Hashd al-Shaabi commander, made statements following his reported affiliation with a Kurdish party. Security forces arrested al-Delawi on charges of inciting sectarian and ethnic hatred, according to the available reporting. Citing security concerns, organizers suspended the planned demonstration and decided instead to send a delegation from Khanaqin to Baghdad to present their demands. No further details on the delegation's composition or travel date were immediately available.