Clashes, now in their fourth consecutive day, leave two dead on Sunday and scores of buildings in flames

KIRKUK, Iraq – Two people were killed Sunday in clashes between Shia Turkmen and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters — which have remained ongoing for the last four days — in the Tuz Khormato district of Iraq’s north-central Saladin province.

According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene, clashes between Kurdish Peshmerga and Shia fighters from the Hashd al-Shaabi militia remained ongoing as of Sunday evening.

Although smoke could be seen rising from a number of buildings, local fire brigades have been unable to enter effected areas due to the ongoing fighting.

“They set our houses and workplaces on fire,” Tuz Khormato resident Hussein Ali Riza told Anadolu Agency.

“At least 100 buildings in my neighborhood have been torched,” he added.

“We haven’t been able to leave home for four days,” Riza lamented. “All markets in the area have been closed; we’re running out of food.”

Although Tuz Khormato has been the scene of considerable unrest in recent months, Riza said the current situation was the worst seen so far.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, meanwhile, has reportedly drawn up a crisis management team tasked with ending the ongoing clashes in the troubled district.