ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – President Masoud Barzani on Saturday met with a group of young men from Salahaddin province’s disputed Tuz Khurmatu who were physically assaulted by Iraqi army forces for flying the Kurdistan flag days earlier.

As Iraq held parliamentary elections on Tuesday, footage circulated on social media depicting Kurdish youth being attacked by Iraqi army soldiers in Tuz Khurmatu on separate occasions for carrying the flag of Kurdistan. In addition to the physical attack, the soldiers also forcefully removed the flags.

President Barzani received the young men on Tuesday, lauding their courage and “Kurdishness”.

“A lot of blood has been shed, and sacrifices have been made for the flag of Kurdistan. The flag of Kurdistan is the flag of every Kurd, and it is the constitutional and legal right of every Kurd to be proud of their flag and the sanctities of their people,” read a statement from Barzani’s office on his meeting with the men.

“No person or party has the right to disrespect the flag of Kurdistan or prevent its raising under any pretext,” the statement added.

The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned the attack on the Tuz Khurmatu men, describing it as “a blatant violation of basic human rights,” and calling on Iraqi authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Tuz Khurmatu is one of the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad. The city has administratively part of Salahaddin province since 1976 due to the Baath regime’s Arabization practices. The exact demographic composition of Tuz Khurmatu is unclear in 2025, but the city has historically had a Turkmen, Kurdish, and Arab population.

Multiple clashes were reported across Iraq at the polling stations on Tuesday, resulting in several people killed, injured, and arrested.