The opening of a cultural and sports center by the Iranian regime in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk has sparked fears that the clerical regime is trying to gain a foothold in a city already torn by ethnic-religious tensions.
The opening of the $400,000 center is sparking a wave of criticism in this mainly Kurdish area from people who oppose Tehran’s growing interference in the affairs of Iraq.
Iran has opened five cultural centers in Iraq since 2003, including one in Baghdad which opened in June 2015, according to analysts, VOA reported.
Kamaran Kirkuky, a member of Kirkuk’s Provincial Council, told VOA that he was concerned that the center was going to be used for “other purposes.”
“Iran can’t help Iraq and Kurdistan,” he said. “We have learned from experience that Iran’s projects don’t provide anything good.”
Kirkuky said he was afraid that the Iraqi Shi’ite militia, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), would increase their presence in Kirkuk by using the center.
“Some members of PMF would have an active role in the center. Shi’ites in general have become very active in Kirkuk recently,” Kirkuky told VOA.
“Some members of PMF would have an active role in the center. Shi’ites in general have become very active in Kirkuk recently,” Kirkuky told VOA.
Al-Arbiya TV reporting on the opening of ‘Khomeini center' said: “The center is considered to be a base for recruiting Kirkuk’s youth to join the militias affiliated with Tehran, and it is associated with the Iranian Quds Force, which is supervised by Gen. Qassem Soleimani.”
A recent report by European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) said: “Iran-backed paramilitary forces which operate as criminal groups or in the guise of popular mobilization forces are today the main cause of sectarian conflicts, killing and murder, ethnic cleansing and population displacement in Iraq. They are driving the country towards internal conflict and ultimate collapse. In addition, these groups have turned into mafia-style murderers, kidnappers, robbers and drug-traffickers.”
The report added: “The popular mobilization forces are now a tool in the hands of criminal elements such as Nouri al-Maliki, Hadi Al-Ameri, and Abu-Mahdi Mohandess, who are in turn the most important agents coordinating the destruction of Iraq, fuelling sectarian war and facilitating the emergence of DAESH.”
Hasan Jumma, a writer inside Kirkuk, told VOA that opening the center was a ‘shameful’ act and was ‘rejected’ by majority of writers, intellectuals, and journalists.
Jumma said there was already a cultural and sports center in the city and there was no need for letting Iran open a center under Khomeini’s name.
“This is an act of invading Kurdistan by opening up centers, schools, and medical clinics which will increase the cultural and political influence of Iran,” Hasan said.
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