Iraq: Two Killed In Kirkuk During Anti-Federation Protest

Kirkuk, Iraq; 31 December 2003 (RFE/RL) -- Two people were shot dead and 14 others wounded by Kurdish policemen in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk during a demonstration today by Arabs and Turkomans demanding that the city remain under a central Iraqi government. Colonel Salem Taleb Tahar said the demonstrators were protesting "against the proposal for federalism" that would incorporate Kirkuk into a Kurdish federation.

U.S. soldiers moved in to barricade the area and set up checkpoints at major intersections in the city.

In other developments, Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers said they reinforced security in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in anticipation of more insurgent attacks over the holiday.