Protest Turns into Armed Clash near Erbil, with at Least One Killed

A large crowd of protesters gathered again on Saturday outside the Lanaz refinery near Erbil, demanding employment opportunities, a demonstration that quickly escalated into violence. 

After clashes broke out between security forces and demonstrators –most of them from the surrounding Harki tribe– a Turkish tanker driver was killed, and three protesters were seriously wounded, according to local sources.

Local residents of Lajan village have been demonstrating outside the Lanaz refinery since last Thursday, demanding employment opportunities they say they were promised during last month’s Iraqi general elections campaign. Protesters accuse authorities of ignoring their demands once the vote concluded.

Lanaz is one of the largest refineries in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. According to documents obtained by The Amargi, the majority of its shares are owned by Mansour Barzani, brother of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

For two days, demonstrators blocked the Erbil–Gwer road and burned tyres but remained largely non-violent. The situation escalated on Saturday after several activists who had spoken to the media were detained and the security forces moved in to disperse the crowd.

There has been no official statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government on casualties. However, videos shared on social media appear to show a young man lying dead in the street with a head wound. His identity has not yet been confirmed. Local media reported that several others had been injured.

Footage from the scene later showed villagers firing towards the refinery and attempting to prevent security forces from advancing into the area.

The residents of Lajan are from the Harki tribe, which clashed with security forces in July in an incident that left two people dead before an agreement was reached. Many members of the tribe are armed and follow tribal leadership.

As night fell, security forces deployed additional reinforcements and heavy weapons near the village and the refinery.

Journalists have been blocked from covering the protest and security forces have been filmed confiscating equipment from some media crews.