Iraqi Kurds 'fully control Kirkuk' as army flees

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BBC News Middle East

Iraqi Kurds 'fully control Kirkuk' as army flees

Iraqi Kurdish forces say they have taken full control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk as the army flees before an Islamist offensive nearby.

"The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of peshmerga," Kurdish spokesman Jabbar Yawar told Reuters. "No Iraq army remains in Kirkuk now."

Kurdish fighters are seen as a bulwark against Sunni Muslim insurgents who seized towns in the region this week.

The fall of the city of Mosul sent shock waves across the Middle East.

Kirkuk and the surrounding province of Tamim are at the heart of a political and economic dispute between Iraq's Arabs and Kurds.

• Under Saddam Hussein's programme of "Arabisation", Kurds were driven from Kirkuk and replaced with settlers from the south, and the Iraqi government continues to assert control over nearby oil fields, with the backing of the local Turkmen community

• The Kurdistan Regional Government, which administers three provinces to the north-east, is pushing for Arabisation to be reversed

• In May 2013, Kurdish fighters took up positions on the outskirts of Kirkuk after Iraqi security forces were redeployed to deal with Sunni militants elsewhere

• A census and referendum on the affiliation of the province has been repeatedly delayed by the broader political crisis in Iraq

Full Article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27809051

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http://rudaw.net/sorani/kurdistan/1206201410

Attempt of assassination against the minister of Peshmergas in Kirkuk. One Peshmergas killed.

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http://rudaw.net/sorani/kurdistan/1206201410

Attempt of assassination against the minister of Peshmergas in Kirkuk. One Peshmergas killed.

Not on the English site as yet

Who attempted to assassinate the minister?

Who is fighting the Peshmerga in Kikuk?

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It was on the road. There has always been a lot of terrorists in Kirkuk.

ERBIL- Kurdistan Region – The multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk, home to one of Iraq's largest oil fields, was taken over by Kurdish Peshmerga forces after Iraqi government troops left the city ahead of a possible attack by radical Islamic insurgents who have already seized two major Iraqi cities.

Jabar Yawar, a spokesperson for Kurdistan's Peshmerga, says Kurdish forces took "full control" of the city Thursday morning because they could not risk leaving the city's Kurdish residents, who comprise majority of the city's population -- and the oil fields -- to the mercy of the radical militants.

Partly because of its vast oil reserves, Kirkuk has long been a flashpoint between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) forces.

Now, in the absence of a strong force, the KRG says it feared the city's oil reserves would be captured by the Islamic militants, who have already seized nearly a half billion dollars from Mosul banks and are considered the "richest" terrorist group in the world.

"Iraqi forces have left all the Kurdish areas in Kirkuk province," Nadir Qadir, a senior Kurdish commander in Kirkuk, told Rudaw by telephone. “Now our forces are in full control."

The radical Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which fights to establish a cross-national Islamic state in the Middle East, has so far refrained from fighting the Iraqi Kurds, who have long experience of guerrilla warfare against the Iraqi government forces.

On Wednesday, some skirmishes erupted between the Peshmerga and ISIS militants. But the confrontation, seen as a mistake, soon came to a halt, with militants retreating.

Despite fears that the militants might have gotten their hands on heavy Iraqi Army weaponry such as tanks, long-range rockets and missiles, as well as rocket-firing helicopters that can be used to attack Kurdistan, a senior Kurdish official told Rudaw that he does not expect the ISIS to make such a "strategic error."

"I don't think ISIS will want to open a second war front against the Kurds," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media about the matter.

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KRG Statement about Kirkuk :

Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs: Dijila Operations Command retreats from Kirkuk

Erbil, Kurdistan (KRG.org) – Lieutenant General Jabbar Yawar, Secretary-General of the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and the Spokesperson of the Region’s armed forces, stated that Peshmerga forces now control Kirkuk city after the Dijila Operations Command retreated from its position. He said, “Peshmerga forces are in control of the majority of the Kurdistan Region outside of KRG administration.”

The Dijila Operations Command is part of the Iraqi Army under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and was deployed in 2012 in and around disputed territories. It has been a source of tension between Erbil and Baghdad since its establishment.

In a statement to KRG.org, Jabbar Yawar pointed out that the KRG has in the past issued warnings that such events would occur in Mosul and parts of Iraq, particularly given the surge of terrorist activities in these areas. He said, “Especially in Ninewa, Salahaddin and Anbar governorates, the Iraqi security agencies and ministries have been incapable and soldiers and employees were only interested in collecting their salaries.” He added that the collapse of these forces after their first engagement in battle had been predicted, but “Baghdad did not heed the KRG’s warnings and now, unfortunately, our predictions have come to pass.”

The Lieutenant General explained that during a number of military meetings between KRG and federal government delegations, the KRG proposed that “several military bases be built in Anbar, Salahaddin and Mosul – particularly at the desert border areas – but Baghdad incorrectly interpreted our proposals as politically motivated and not in the public’s interest.”

Yawar recalled that at the end of 2012, Peshmerga forces drew a line designed to protect the Kurdistan Region, including the areas of “Naftkhana, Khanaqin, Jalawla, Saadiya, Qaratapa, south and west of Tuz Khurmatu, and south and west of Kirkuk. This is in addition to the areas of Dibagah, Makhmour and as far as Fishkhabour. This line, which is 1050 kilometres in length, has been protected by the Kurdistan Region’s 70th and 80th forces, rapid-response units, Asayish, and Zeravani. Over the past several days, as the Iraqi Army has abandoned its posts, including joint-force positions, Peshmerga reinforcements have been dispatched to fill their places.”

Yawar also revealed that Peshmerga are present in “Gwer and the areas surrounding Kirkuk city, including Taza Khurmatu and areas close to Hawija and Dibs.” To make these areas more secure, he reiterated that the Kurdistan Region remains open for all people fleeing their homes because of the threat of terror. “The Peshmerga will help them in every way that they can. In the meantime, security measures taken by Peshmerga forces will not cause conflict or disruption for citizens living in these areas.”

The Lieutenant General explained that no confrontation has taken place between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army. He said, “Peshmerga forces have helped Iraqi soldiers and military leaders when they abandoned their positions. We helped them to reach Baghdad via the Kurdistan Region, particularly three Iraqi military leaders: General Ali Ghaidan, General Abood Qambar, and Lieutenant-General Muhsin Mahmud, as well as the two pilots who abandoned their planes. They were all sent back to Baghdad via Erbil International Airport.”

Jabar Yawar also clarified that Peshmerga forces quickly reached the Rabia border crossing in order to establish military positions to secure the border area.

He emphasized that “no Dijila Operations Command soldiers are present in the city of Kirkuk, and all the units of the Iraqi Army’s 12th Division have retreated from the city. Asayish forces and Zeravani now control Kirkuk city and the surrounding areas.”

Yawar pointed out, “Peshmerga forces have thus far not received orders from the President of the Kurdistan Region to move toward the three governorates which are under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).” He added, “There is no need for Peshmerga forces to move into these areas. Iraqi Army forces are no longer present there, and the situation in these areas is highly unstable, as they are under ISIS control.”

KRG Spokesperson Minister Safeen Dizayee described the posture of KRG Peshmerga forces. He said, “We are fully committed to the defence of territory administered by the KRG as well as areas of the Kurdistan Region outside of KRG administration.” He added, “The KRG is currently a safe haven for approximately 250,000 Syrian refugees as well as hundreds of thousands of internally-displaced people fleeing the violence in Mosul and elsewhere. We are doing our best to cope with this humanitarian emergency.”

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Rudaw reports Kurdish security forces are in direct contact with ISIS and heavy clashes : two Kurdish soldiers reported to be killed.

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Indeed, this time, Kurds should NOT withdraw from Kirkuk. They have taken it many times, and had always given it up, for political reasons, negotiations with Iraq, or facing American threatens.

And they lost all what they gained with their former military victories.

This time, they should keep it. ISF is nothing, ISIS won't try to seize the city, Iran won't threaten Kurds who are the main shield against ISIS. Turkey ? They would face war from Kurds everywhere if they attack KRG.

What USA could do ? Bombing Kirkuk ? They did not intervene in Syria, they might not intervene in Iraq, they won't bomb Kurdistan.
This time, Kurds should keep Kirkuk : It could be the final step before independence.

Peshmergas take control of Kirkuk Province (Video from Radio free Europe) I think soon after the beginning we see the governor of Kirkuk, Dr. Najmadin Kareem talking with Peshmergas.

http://www.rferl.mobi/a/iraq-kirkuk-pes ... 19906.html