Kurdish region orders arrest of 11 Iraqi officials

By Arif Yusuf

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) – Judicial authorities in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region on Monday issued arrest warrants for 11 Iraqi officials.

The move comes amid rising tension between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) over last month’s controversial referendum for Kurdish independence.

The public prosecutor in the Kurdish region filed a case against the officials on multiple charges, including incitement to violence.

The most prominent names on the list are Qais al-Khazali, the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Hanan Fatlawi, a female MP from the Shia Alliance and Turkmen MP Hassan Toran.

Last week, government forces captured several disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province.