Early Saturday morning, unidentified gunmen attacked the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Kirkuk. According to Aram Jabar, a senior official at the office, the shooting originated from behind the third branch of the building, and the guards immediately responded. Fortunately, the assault did not result in any casualties.

“The shooters were pedestrians and ran away after shooting at the third branch. Following the incident, a security force came to investigate it and check CCTV footage,” Jabar told Rudaw.

Mohammed Kamal, head of the KDP office in Kirkuk, revealed that they had prior intelligence indicating a potential attack and had informed local security forces. "Our Peshmerga [guards] were on alert," Kamal added.

The KDP, the strongest political party in the Kurdistan Region, had its Kirkuk office closed after Kurdish Peshmerga forces were forced out by the Iraqi army and paramilitary forces in October 2017, following the Region’s independence referendum which included the province. Despite strong opposition from pro-Iran militia groups, the KDP reopened the office late last year.

The attack occurs amidst ongoing political tensions in the province, where Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmens are struggling to agree on the formation of the local government. This deadlock persists more than six months after local elections were held. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani is pressing the members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council to reach a deal soon.