Iraq withdraws decision to curb use of Turkmen language in Kirkuk [Video]

Following uproar within and outside the country, Iraq has retracted its decision to limit the use of the Turkmen language in its northern Kirkuk province, local media reported.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani directed authorities on Thursday to ensure that Turkmen remains part of the languages used for official correspondence in Kirkuk, along with Arabic and Kurdish, according to state news agency INA.

A day earlier, the government moved to bar Turkmen from the list of official languages in Kirkuk, a region with a sizeable ethnic Turkmen population dating to the Ottoman era.

The decision drew immediate backlash …