Iraqi Forces And Shiite Militias Have Seized Most Of Kirkuk From The Kurds

Reuters: Iraqi forces complete Kirkuk province takeover after clashes with Kurds

BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces on Friday took control of the last district in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk still in the hands of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters following a three-hour battle, security sources said.

The district of Altun Kupri, or Perde in Kurdish, lies on the road between the city of Kirkuk - which fell to Iraqi forces on Monday - and Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq that voted in a referendum last month to secede from Iraq against Baghdad’s wishes.

A force made up of U.S-trained Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service units, Federal Police and Iranian-backed fighters known as Popular Mobilisation began their advance on Altun Kupri at 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT), said an Iraqi military spokesman.

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WNU Editor:

Iran's fingerprints are all over this new conflict .... Iran's Guards flex muscle in Middle East despite Trump warning (Reuters). More here .... Don't sacrifice our Kurdish allies to Iranian hegemony (Rebeccah L. Heinrichs, The Hill).

More News On The Growing Fight Between Iraqi Forces And Shiite Militias Against The Kurds

Iraq Kurds: Army claims full control of Kirkuk province -- BBC
Clashes as Iraq army takes last Kurd-held area of Kirkuk province -- AFP
Rising tensions escalate into combat between Iraqi and Kurdish forces, allies in the fight against Islamic State -- L.A. Times
Iraqi and Kurdish forces exchange fire over shared border as tensions rise -- The Telegraph
Iraqi forces clash with Kurdish fighters in town north of Kirkuk -- CNN
Iraqi forces clash with Kurds moving closer to regional capital Erbil (VIDEO) -- RT