The Iraqi Turkmen are a community, which has been constantly on the agenda of Turkey until 2018’s, yet, now seems to be quite "far" away. There are various opinions on the number of Turkmen residing in Iraq. However, when looking at the results laid down by the recent arguably parliamentary election held in Iraq, it can be said that the numbers of the official thesis alleged by Turkey in the past have not been quite realistic.
We have no argument with the figures, however, if a rough estimate were to be made, it seems that the number of the Turkmen population living in the region is more than 3 million. In the past, the Turkmen have always been at the focal point of the politics dealing with Iraq. However, rather than becoming stronger actors, this situation made them grow weaker by the day.
If I were to say that I was not surprised to meet a portrait not hesitating to criticize the mistakes made in the recent past and Turkey, I would be telling an untruth. The reason for this is that until now, the names which have been representing the Turkmen Front and the policies of the Front, in general, have not gone beyond empty rhetoric and an emotional bond with Ankara.
The US had a new autonomy plan regarding Kirkuk and that first Kirkuk would be seized from the central administration by Washington and subsequently relinquished to Barzani. The US intended to remove the border between Iraq and Syria and establish a single zone comprised of Rakka, Haseke, Deyrizor, Kirkuk, Telafer, Erbil, and Süleymaniye. This endeavor was as much a political one as well as to exploit the underground wealth of Iraq and Syria. It tries to implement this plan by causing chaos by not forming the government.
The victimization that the Turkmeneli zone was exposed to in the 2014 process should not be forgotten the following warnings: Kirkuk is the ancient center of the Turkmeneli region. The US, KDP, PUK, and the Iraqi central administration as well as the Gulf States are entering cooperation agreements for common benefits. The Turkmen have suffered a lot and are again threatened. We are all responsible to prevent Turkmeneli from being sacrificed to yet another new and heinous plot.
The unmerited/shortsighted Turkmen politicians who imposed on the Turkmen community should be aware to shun any behavior, which may bring harm to the Turkmen people. Our sole endeavor is to unite and put the Turkmen people on a solid foundation as we are approaching the vague/dark era. At the same time, we call on everyone to refrain from making sensitive statements during this critical period and commit to holding the interests of the Turkmen people above all else.