ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Representatives and elders of a village near Erbil city, where tensions have recently risen, on Monday blamed “external actors” for inciting chaos and drawing in security forces to normalize the situation. 

A number of residents of Lajan village, located on the Erbil-Gwer road, took to the streets in recent days and blocked the road. A young man was killed and several others injured, including members of the security forces.  

Elders and representatives, accompanied by the village chieftain, headed to the Kurdistan Region’s interior ministry in Erbil on Monday and delivered remarks after days of tensions. 

“There were external actors in the tensions of recent days to disrupt peace and create problems and complications. We do not allow external interference, and we also demand that legal measures be taken against those who want to create problems,” the village’s people said. 

They also called on the village residents to return to their houses, emphasizing that no property has been raided and no one will be arrested. 

“We handed over the individuals who were requested by the security forces. They will be released in a short period of time,” they said, adding that the village has “no problems” with the government. 

Numerous residents of the village had left their houses and taken to the streets due to the tensions, after an announcement was made from the village mosque calling on people to evacuate their homes to avoid violence. 

According to the residents, a large quantity of weapons had been brought into the village by certain individuals. 

The village is inhabited by citizens belonging to the Harki tribe, a prominent tribe across the Kurdistan Region. 

Khurshid Harki, an influential leader from the Harki tribe, blamed “four to five” individuals for inciting the chaos, stressing that residents currently on the streets are returning home. 

“This conflict is not in the interests of the people, the village, or the Kurdistan Region,” Harki told The New Region. 

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw headed to Lajan on Monday evening and called on the village residents to return home, saying “efforts are ongoing” to safeguard the process. 

“Certainly, people with malicious intent wanted to disrupt security. The Kurdistan Regional Government will ensure that their efforts will fail,” Khoshnaw told reporters at Lajan.  

Speaking to The New Region’s correspondent, village residents blamed individuals from the tribe for inciting chaos. 

They stressed that the situation “has calmed down” and order has been restored in the area.