Kirkuk

Even as Iraq’s pro-government forces close in on Rawa, one of the very last strongholds of the extremist group known as the Islamic State, ordinary Iraqis everywhere are wondering where the extremists will turn up next.
A series of recent attacks and arrests are cause for concern. In Kirkuk, the headquarters of the Shia Muslim militias in that city was attacked and a day after that, authorities announced they had arrested a terrorist network inside the city.

On the 25th of September, Iraqi Kurds held a secessionist vote based on the principles of extreme ethno-nationalist, where Kurds voted to separate from Iraq. The referendum was boycotted by Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians and local Turkmen and was doubly controversial as it included areas of Iraq that had been unilaterally occupied by Kurdish militants, which are outside the legally defined Kurdish Autonomous Region in northern Iraq.

By M K Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline | October 26, 2017 The US project to create a rift between Iraq and Iran backfired just a couple of days of its launch from Riyadh on October 22 by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Washington effectively sought out Saudi Arabia to project itself as counterweight to […]

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Iraqi security forces have begun an operation against Kirkuk. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed, in a statement, that troops were imposing security in the area “in cooperation with the people of Kirkuk and the Peshmerga.”
However, it is likely the operation is in response to the September 25 Kurdish independence referendum.

Iraqi military forces have seized strategic positions around the oil-rich city of Kirkuk as a showdown over Kurdish calls for independence enters a dangerous new phase, writes Joe Lauria. By Joe Lauria Overreaction in Baghdad, Ankara and Tehran to what…Read more →

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Press TV – October 15, 2017 The Iraqi government has accused authorities from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of bringing militants from Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to the disputed oil province of Kirkuk, saying it considered the move as a “declaration of war.” The National Security Council, headed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider […]

Immediately on the heels of the Iraqi Kurdistan “yes” vote, the Iraqi parliament approved sending troops to the disputed Kirkuk region to prevent the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) from taking full control of the oil-rich area. Preliminary official results out Wednesday indicate a 92% vote in favor of Kurdish independence.