Sharjah24 - Reuters: A protester was shot dead and a dozen wounded on Saturday during clashes between ethnic groups in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk that broke out after days of tensions, security forces and police said.
The dispute centres on occupation of a building in Kirkuk that served as the headquarters for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the past but which the Iraqi army has used a base since 2017.
The central government plans to return to the building to the KDP in a show of goodwill but Arab and Turkmen opponents set up a camp outside the building to protest last week.
The violence was sparked when a group of Kurdish protesters approached the camp on Saturday, police said.
Security officials and police in the city say they were investigating the circumstances of how a protester - a Kurd - was killed, and who opened fire. People from both protest groups were wounded as stones were thrown and metal bars used to attack, said Kirkuk police.
Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani ordered a curfew in the city to prevent an escalation of the violence, and called on all "political parties, social organisations, and community leaders to play their part in preventing strife and preserving security, stability, and order," according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
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