Barzani meets Kurdish youth assaulted on election day in Tuz Khurmatu

ERBIL — Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani met Saturday with a group of Kurdish youths from Tuz Khurmatu who were assaulted by Iraqi soldiers on election day – allegedly for carrying the Kurdistan flag – praising what he described as their courage and reaffirming their right to raise the flag.

In a statement, Barzani’s office said he met the group in Pirmam and thanked them for their “spirit of Kurdish identity,” telling them that “many lives and sacrifices were given for the honor of raising the Kurdistan flag.” The statement quoted Barzani as saying that the flag “belongs to all Kurds” and that every Kurd has a constitutional and legal right “to honor and take pride in the flag and the sanctities of their people,” adding that no person or authority has the right to prevent its display.

The meeting follows the Nov. 11 incident in which several Iraqi soldiers assaulted a Kurdish civilian in Tuz Khurmatu for holding the Kurdistan flag. The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs condemned the attack at the time as “a clear violation of basic human rights,” noting that the flag is recognized under Iraq’s federal constitution. A video circulating online appeared to show a soldier striking a Kurdish youth while someone off-camera stated the attack occurred because he carried the flag.

Shortly afterward, Lt. Gen. Ali al-Maliki, commander of the East Salah al-Din Operations Command, visited the youth’s home to apologize and confirmed that one soldier had been arrested. According to the victim, Ayoub Ihsan, the general told him, “We are a disciplined force and do not accept being misunderstood or having our image distorted, so the soldier who assaulted you has been arrested, and a committee has been formed to investigate the incident. He will be held accountable according to the law.”

Tuz Khurmatu lies in Salah al-Din governorate and is part of the disputed territories between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government, though the area is currently under the control of the Iraqi army. The district has seen repeated disputes over authority, security, and identity symbols, including the use of the Kurdistan flag.