Iraqi Kurd Region Gov’t still eyeing Kirkuk: Official

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) – No official decision has yet been made regarding the return of Kurdish Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk, or to other areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil, a KRG official said.

Jabbar Yawar, secretary-general of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, made the statement on Tuesday.

But in another Tuesday statement, the KRG also hailed what it described as “joint mobilizations” -- by both Iraqi federal forces and Peshmerga -- against the lingering Daesh terrorist presence in Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin, Mosul and Makhmur.

In late 2017, federal forces moved into several parts of Iraq disputed between the central government and Erbil, the semi-autonomous Kurdish region’s administrative capital.

The deployments, which followed an illegitimate referendum on Kurdish regional independence, saw the accompanying withdrawal of Peshmerga forces from these areas.

Notably, federal forces deployed in these areas were recently replaced by Iraqi Special Forces, prompting speculation of the possible return of Peshmerga to these areas.