Iraqi forces capture 3 disputed areas in Diyala

By Hussein al-Amir

DIYALA, Iraq (AA) – Iraqi forces on Tuesday captured three disputed areas in the eastern Diyala province, according to a local police officer.

Government forces seized control of the districts of Khanaqin, Jalawla and Kalar following a Kurdish troop pullout, Police Capt. Habib al-Shammari told Anadolu Agency.

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces pulled out from the towns of Qaraj and Bashiqa in the northern Mosul city.

“The withdrawal is going on smoothly upon instructions from the Kurdish leadership,” Kurdish officer Taher Saadullah al-Duski said.

He said Kurdish commanders were now holding a meeting with their Iraqi counterparts to reach an agreement on the full handover of Makhmur axis.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kurdish forces began to withdraw from Makhmur district, southeast of Mosul.

Kurdish forces seized control of disputed areas in the provinces of Kirkuk, Nineveh, Diyala and Saladin when the Daesh terrorist group swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and the army collapsed.

On Monday, Iraqi forces seized full control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk amid tension between Baghdad and Erbil over last month’s illegitimate referendum on Kurdish independence.