Kirkuk governorate to be handed to Arab component by year-end, provincial council head says

KIRKUK, Iraq — The head of Kirkuk's provincial council, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hafez, said the governorate will be transferred to the Arab component by the end of the year under a political agreement signed among the city's administrative parties. Al-Hafez said the terms of the deal have been settled and accepted by the relevant parties, adding that the file is being followed up. Al-Hafez noted that financial matters fall under the authority of the federal government in Baghdad and expressed hope that authorities would act to pay farmers and contractors in Kirkuk and across Iraq. He said the prime minister and finance minister are committed to settling those dues, and that the issue is being tracked with the relevant authorities. Separately, al-Hafez welcomed Chaldean Church Patriarch Mar Louis Raphaël Sako's visit to Kirkuk, saying it contributed to strengthening harmony and shared diversity among the city's components. No further details on the timing of the transfer were immediately available.