Montag, 16.10.2017 / 09:01 Uhr

Kämpfe in Kirkuk ausgebrochen

Von
Aus dem Netz

Alle hatten es befürchtet und bis zuletzt gehofft, dass es nicht passiert:

Iraqi and Kurdish forces exchanged artillery fire early Monday (October 16) south of the city of Kirkuk, after central government forces began a "major operation" to take control of a Kurdish military base and oil fields.

Shortly before, state television announced that government troops had taken "large areas" of the province from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters "without fighting", although military sources on both sides reported exchange of Katyusha rocket fire to the south of the provincial capital.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who said this week that he was "not going... to make war on our Kurdish citizens", has "given orders to armed forces to take over security in Kirkuk," state television said.

Iraqi troops will "secure bases and government facilities in Kirkuk province" the government said. They are aiming to retake military bases and oil fields which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters took in 2014 during the fightback against the Islamic State jihadist group.

Multiple Peshmerga fighters were injured in the clashes and hospitalized in Kirkuk, a local security source said.

Tensions have soared between the central government and Iraqi Kurds in the wake of a September 25 non-binding referendum that produced a resounding "yes" for independence for the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

Baghdad has declared the referendum -- held despite international opposition -- illegal.  

Abadi said that members of the Hashid al-Shaabi, the paramilitary Popular Mobilization forces, which are dominated by Iran-backed Shia militias, would stay away from Kirkuk, where there have been multiple demonstrations against their involvement in the dispute.

Quelle