Protesters block Mosul-Erbil road in Nineveh Plains
Shafaq News- Nineveh
Hundreds of protesters in Bartella, in Nineveh's Al-Hamdaniya district, blocked the main road linking Mosul and Erbil on Saturday, protesting decisions to hand security checkpoints to local police and to allow construction in disputed areas covered by Article 140 of Iraq's constitution, a security source told Shafaq News.
The protesters closed the highway to all traffic, stranding long lines of trucks and travelers, according to the source. They rejected the removal of the Popular Mobilization Forces' (PMF) 30th Brigade, known as the Shabak PMF, from the entrances and exits of the Nineveh Plains, and demanded that it remain in charge of the area's security.
They also denounced recent decisions allowing construction on the outskirts of Mosul and in Nineveh Plains villages, which they described as a prelude to demographic change. Security forces reinforced their presence near the site and opened talks to reopen the road, the source said.
Shabak and Turkmen tribal leaders and notables held a press conference the same day, pledging to defend their land, identity and the rights of the area's communities. They warned against "any attempts to impose administrative or security arrangements that threaten social peace."
The 30th Brigade has been deployed across the Nineveh Plains since the province was retaken from ISIS, and many Shabak see it as essential to securing their areas. Moves by the Interior Ministry and joint commands to hand internal security to local police have revived those concerns.
The protest also comes amid a broader land dispute involving Qaza Fakhra, Jliyokhan and Bazwaya near Mosul. Last month, parliament backed recommendations allowing holders of official deeds to build in Qaza Fakhra and Jliyokhan, after Iraq's Federal Supreme Court in September upheld a Nineveh Provincial Council decision lifting construction restrictions in the two areas. Shabak representatives oppose the move, saying it could alter the area's demographics.
Article 140 of Iraq's constitution sets out a process for resolving the status of territories disputed between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Read more: PMF blocks protest over Nineveh building restrictions
