Alqosh, Iraq (AINA) -- Hundreds of Assyrians in the town of Alqosh, Iraq held a demonstration at the county building to protest the removal of the county council leader, Mr. Faiz Abed Jahwareh, by Kurds. Mr. Jahwareh was replaced two days ago by a Kurdish man who is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The population of Alqosh is 100% Assyrian.

Mr. Jahwareh is a member of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM), he was widely supported by the town residents and was responsible for the administration of Alqosh and a number of smaller Assyrian and Yezidi villages in the surrounding area.

Since 2003, security for villages in north Iraq has been provided by a joint police force of Iraqis and Kurds. The Iraqi police were comprised of mostly Arabs with some Assyrians. The Kurdish police were comprised of Kurds. When Mosul fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on June 11, Arab members of the Iraqi police stationed in Assyrian villages throughout north Iraq abandoned their positions, leaving only the Kurds and the few Assyrians to protect the villages against ISIS.

Seizing the opportunity, the KDP took control of Assyrian, Yezidi and Shabak villages (AINA 2014-06-14).

In Alqosh the KDP consolidated its hold by replacing the Assyrian leader of the county council with a Kurd.