Murad Zana, 14, was killed during clashes on the evening of Sunday, September 27, between Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service forces and two ISIS militants in the Pirdy (Altun Kupri) sub-district north of Kirkuk.
Yawar Anwar, the teenager’s uncle criticized the way the operation was conducted, saying that heavy machine guns such as PKC (PK machine gun) and Dushka (DShK) weapons were unsuitable for an operation inside a residential area. “The security forces opened fire indiscriminately, without sufficient consideration for the safety of civilians.”
Murad’s uncle, told KirkukNow that Counter-Terrorism forces should not have used such intense fire or conducted the operation in an urban area surrounded by residents. “The forces began firing Dushka and PKC machine guns as soon as they identified the militants, weapons were not appropriate for a house-to-house raid.”
Murad worked at a food warehouse in central Pirdy for a daily wage of 10,000 Iraqi dinars IQD (USD7). His father was a member of the Peshmerga, and Murad was the family’s only son.
Another of Murad’s uncles, who is also a Peshmerga member, criticized the scale of the operation. “You don't destroy a house just to kill a rat,” he said, recalling previous operations against ISIS in which Peshmerga forces, according to him, sometimes avoided destroying uninhabited villages to eliminate a single militant.
He said the forces had shown insufficient concern for the people inside and around the warehouse.
You don't destroy a house just to kill a rat
At the beginning of the incident, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service ICTS announced that its forces had engaged ISIS militants in the Pirdy area, killing two individuals who it said were wearing suicide vests. The service also announced the arrest of another person and later published photographs of the two militants who were killed.
The northern, oil-rich, multi-ethnic Kirkuk Province, home to more than 2.34 million Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, remains one of Iraq’s disputed territories between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG. Its future status is tied to Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which outlines a process involving normalization, census-taking, and public referendums.
However, a security source cited by KirkukNow said the two men had entered a goods and food warehouse, possibly to purchase supplies, which differed from the Counter-Terrorism Service’s account that they were wearing suicide vests.
According to Murad’s uncle, the teenager had taken shelter behind one of the warehouse shelves when he was struck in the head by a bullet.
Abdul-Muttalib Najmadin, director of the Pirdy sub-district, visited Murad’s family home the following night. "I had not been informed in advance about the Counter-Terrorism Service operation," despite his role as head of the sub-district’s security committee.
I had not been informed in advance about the Counter-Terrorism Service operation
Najmadin said the area continued to face unresolved security gaps and described administrative and security coordination as weak. He also noted that Kirkuk’s governor had inaugurated a bridge two days earlier without notifying local sub-district officials. According to him, vehicles entering the area through the bridge had not been inspected during the preceding two days.
After the incident began, approximately 20 military vehicles belonging to the Counter-Terrorism Service entered the sub-district. Traffic was restricted and several access roads were closed until the operation ended.
The Counter-Terrorism Service said in a statement that the operation had been conducted on the basis of judicial orders.
The clashes damaged several civilian vehicles and homes, while casualties were also reported among the Counter-Terrorism forces.
Kirkuk Governor Mohammed Saman visited Murad’s family to offer condolences. He expressed support for the security forces’ efforts to combat terrorism and what he described as “criminal gangs,” while calling for stronger coordination and cooperation among security agencies, particularly ahead of the approaching National Sovereignty Day ceremonies.
Arshad al-Salihi, an Iraqi parliamentarian representing the Iraqi Turkmen Front ITF, said authorities had previously been warned about suspicious individuals allegedly posing as farmers in and around the Altun Kupri area. He called on the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to strengthen Kirkuk with additional federal forces and deploy security personnel along the governorate’s administrative borders.
The incident comes as security forces in Kirkuk prepare for events marking Iraqi National Sovereignty Days, with ceremonies scheduled for the coming weekend.
