The 'shit's gonna hit the fan' (The point at which "the shit hits the fan" is the point at which an already unstable situation devolves into utter chaos, often in spite of--or even due to--a higher authority's attempt to control it. )As was written here previously: Last time...US Escalation in Iraq: Taking Kirkuk & Further Entrenching the US in the Region , feel free to read further back still including reports from 2017
This is about Kirkuk. Control of territory. Control of resources. And most likely a challenge to Russia. As well as Turkey. Kirkuk, disputed and resource rich I've talked the remake of the region for so long now... we're not getting into that in any detail, except to say it's factor in the taking of Kirkuk.
Kirkuk is disputed territory. Which means the Kurds claim it as theirs. Iraq says it is not. There are resources and lots of them ready to be exploited and controlled.
To conclude: The US is using the pretext of the protests, the likely false flag attack on the K1 base to bring in additional troops in order to take back the Kirkuk territory held by the Iraqi state government. That's how this all looks to me at this time. Where it goes...??
And suddenly BP is pulling out? As "expansion plans stall"
Iraq was hoping BP would help it triple output from the field, to one million barrels per day (Mmbpd) – more than 20% of Iraq’s current production and 1% of global output.
But BP’s contract was put on hold in 2014 when the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of Islamic State’s advance in northern and western Iraq, allowing the Kurdish regional government (KRG) to take control of the Kirkuk region.
Baghdad regained full control of the deposit from the regional government in 2017, after a failed Kurdish independence referendum, at which point BP resumed its field studies, Reuters reported.
Kirkuk is estimated to contain roughly nine billion barrels of recoverable oil, according to BP.
Lots of money to be made. And BP walks away. Additional link & BP's contract expires and they walk away
Kirkuk has one of the oldest and most extensive oilfields in the Middle East, estimated to have nine billion barrels of recoverable oil as well as substantial gas reserves. The province is one of the disputed territories claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq.
The dispute, which is set to worsen is the reason BP has walked away. Especially with ISIS making a come back. It's certainly a financial blow to the Federal Government of Iraq. Gee, who'd want that? Who wants Iraq destroyed. So a new creation can emerge from the ashes? A block on the new silk road. A friend for Israel. And so forth. And so on.All points previously discussed here at the blog.From earlier today..