In a concerning development, Iraqi militias have surrounded several villages in the Sargaran sub-district of Kirkuk province, leading to the arrest of seven Kurdish farmers, according to local sources. The detained farmers, who were reportedly conducting their regular agricultural activities, face arrest without any apparent legal basis, sparking concerns among the residents of the affected areas.

Dashti Agha, a farmer from Palkana village, expressed frustration over the arrests, asserting that the Iraqi army's actions are allegedly at the behest of resettled Arabs. Agha emphasized that the farmers were merely engaged in their work on their own land and called attention to the lack of legal justification for their detention.

The residents of Sargaran have urged the Kurdish leadership to intervene and bring an end to what they perceive as oppression. The ongoing situation highlights the historical and complex ethnic tensions in Kirkuk, a province with a diverse population consisting of Kurds, Turkmen, and Arabs.

Kirkuk has been a longstanding subject of dispute, exacerbated by the former Ba'athist regime's campaign in the 1970s to alter the province's demography. This involved resettling Arabs and confiscating lands owned by Kurds. Today, Kurds often rely on Ottoman-era titles and deeds to substantiate their claims to the seized lands.

The constitutional framework for resolving such disputes is outlined in Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, ratified in 2005. This article mandates a process involving a census, a subsequent referendum, and the de-Arabization of the region to determine the status of Kirkuk.

The recent events in Sargaran underscore the ongoing challenges and tensions surrounding land ownership and ethnic demographics in the region. As the situation unfolds, the call for Kurdish leadership to address the concerns of the affected residents and engage in diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue becomes increasingly urgent. The international community will likely be closely monitoring the developments in Kirkuk province amid fears of escalating tensions and the potential for further unrest.