ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – After Kurdish youth clashed with Iraqi security forces on Wednesday in Kirkuk while attempting to raise the Kurdistan flag on the city's iconic Peshmerga statue to mark Kurdistan Flag Day, Governor Rebwar Taha vowed to fly the Kurdish symbol in lieu of the Iraqi flag for the first time since 2017 within 48 hours, according to the demonstration's organizers. 

Footage received by The New Region on Wednesday showed Iraqi security forces, backed by armored vehicles, arresting youths in Kirkuk as they attempted to place the Kurdistan flag on a famous Peshmerga statue at the city gate on Kurdistan Flag Day.

The statue has displayed the Iraqi flag since Kurdish forces lost control of the city in October 2017.

Youth carrying the Kurdistan flag marched through Kirkuk on Wednesday toward a Peshmerga statue, attempting to place the flag in its hand, but a large Iraqi security presence deployed to disperse them sparked tense and chaotic scenes.

More than 300 Iraqi special forces and counter-terrorism personnel, armed with heavy weaponry, were dispatched to the area, and four Kurdish youths were arrested following the chaos, based on the information received by The New Region.

Footage shows Iraqi security forces, backed by armored vehicles, arresting youths in Kirkuk as they attempted to place the Kurdistan flag on a Peshmerga statue at the city gate on Kurdistan Flag Day

The statue has displayed the Iraqi flag since Kurdish forces lost control of the… pic.twitter.com/e7dNM7R2CB

— The New Region (@thenewregion) December 17, 2025

Abdulbasit Najmaddin, the organizer of the gathering, told The New Region that “all the arrested youths were later released, and the event was ended following a promise from Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha.” 

Najmaddin added that the governor promised us that “within the next 48 hours, the Iraqi flag will be taken down from the Peshmerga's hand and the Kurdistan flag will be raised in its place.”

He added that if the “promise is not fulfilled within the specified time,” Kurdish youth and the group will continue broader protests “until our demand is implemented.”

The appointment of Taha as governor in August 2024 marked the return of the position to Kurds for the first time since 2017, raising hopes among Kurds in Kirkuk of regaining lost positions.

Kirkuk falls under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which mandates a process to outline a clear and definitive boundary in the disputed areas by introducing a referendum to determine the will of the residents living on the lands. The implementation of the article has been continuously delayed by successive Iraqi federal governments.

Multiethnic and disputed, Kirkuk has long been marred by conflicts that intensified following a military takeover by the Iraqi forces that brought the province under Baghdad’s control in 2017, leading to rising targeted attacks on the Kurdish component.

On October 16, 2017, the Kurds lost control over Kirkuk and other disputed territories after a military offensive by the Iraqi government was conducted in the province, bringing it under the rule of Baghdad. The Kurdish authorities have continuously pledged the eventual return of the lost territory.

The Iraqi federal parliamentary elections in November were similarly marred by a series of attacks on Kurdish voters carrying the flag of Kurdistan, offenses strongly criticized by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Region’s leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).