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| Kirkuk: Iraqi forces seize largest oilfields near city | Kirkuk: Iraqi forces seize largest oilfields near city |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Iraqi government forces have taken control of the two largest oilfields near the disputed city of Kirkuk after Kurdish forces left the area. | Iraqi government forces have taken control of the two largest oilfields near the disputed city of Kirkuk after Kurdish forces left the area. |
| Iraqi troops began a takeover of Kirkuk on Monday. | Iraqi troops began a takeover of Kirkuk on Monday. |
| The actions come three weeks after a Kurdish referendum on independence, which was declared illegitimate by the central Iraqi government. | The actions come three weeks after a Kurdish referendum on independence, which was declared illegitimate by the central Iraqi government. |
| Voters in the Kurdish autonomous region and Kurdish-held areas overwhelmingly backed secession. | Voters in the Kurdish autonomous region and Kurdish-held areas overwhelmingly backed secession. |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has denounced the vote as unconstitutional and said the latest operation was necessary to "protect the unity of the country". | |
| Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani is expected to make a statement later on Tuesday, addressing divisions between Kurdish fighters and urging them to avoid civil war, according to the Irbil-based Rudaw news site. | Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani is expected to make a statement later on Tuesday, addressing divisions between Kurdish fighters and urging them to avoid civil war, according to the Irbil-based Rudaw news site. |
| A sudden switch | |
| By Orla Guerin, BBC News, Kirkuk | |
| A large statute of a Peshmerga fighter still looms over the entrance to Kirkuk, but otherwise there's little sign left of Kurdish control. | |
| Iraqi forces are now firmly in command, manning new checkpoints on the road to the city. | |
| The city was peaceful but Kurdish areas looked like a ghost town, with shops and homes sealed shut. The thousands who fled the Iraqi advance have not rushed back. | |
| The few people we found on the streets spoke of uncertainty, and loss. | |
| Some were angry at Peshmerga fighters for not defending the city. Others blamed the Kurdish leader, Massoud Barzani, for triggering the Iraqi takeover with last month's independence vote. | |
| A large poster of President Barzani has been damaged by fire. Locals told us Shia militia, officially controlled by Baghdad, set it alight when they entered the city. The burnt portrait is a potent symbol of his loss of authority here. | |
| Why is Kirkuk at the heart of this crisis? | Why is Kirkuk at the heart of this crisis? |
| Kirkuk is an oil-rich province and its oilfields are vital to the Kurdish economy. It lies outside the official Kurdistan region and is claimed by both the Kurds and the central government. It is thought to have a Kurdish majority, but its provincial capital also has large Arab and Turkmen populations. | Kirkuk is an oil-rich province and its oilfields are vital to the Kurdish economy. It lies outside the official Kurdistan region and is claimed by both the Kurds and the central government. It is thought to have a Kurdish majority, but its provincial capital also has large Arab and Turkmen populations. |
| Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of much of the province in 2014, when Islamic State (IS) group militants swept across northern Iraq and the Iraqi army collapsed. | Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of much of the province in 2014, when Islamic State (IS) group militants swept across northern Iraq and the Iraqi army collapsed. |
| On Tuesday, Iraqi forces captured the Bai Hassan and Avana oilfields run by state-owned North Oil Company, north of Kirkuk. | On Tuesday, Iraqi forces captured the Bai Hassan and Avana oilfields run by state-owned North Oil Company, north of Kirkuk. |
| A day earlier, troops had captured other key military bases and other oilfields, as well as the governor's office. Forces pulled down the Kurdish flag, which had been flying alongside the Iraqi national flag, reports said. | A day earlier, troops had captured other key military bases and other oilfields, as well as the governor's office. Forces pulled down the Kurdish flag, which had been flying alongside the Iraqi national flag, reports said. |
| Which areas are affected? | Which areas are affected? |
| Kurdish forces have also left an area on the border with Iran, reports say. | Kurdish forces have also left an area on the border with Iran, reports say. |
| Iraqi troops are also preparing to take control of the Khanaqin area, where a small oilfield is located, security sources were quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. | Iraqi troops are also preparing to take control of the Khanaqin area, where a small oilfield is located, security sources were quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. |
| Meanwhile, a Yazidi militia retook the town of Sinjar, in the northern Nineveh province, without violence. | Meanwhile, a Yazidi militia retook the town of Sinjar, in the northern Nineveh province, without violence. |
| Peshmerga forces had established control over Sinjar while battling IS. The town was the site of one of the group's worst atrocities, when thousands of Yazidis were killed and enslaved after the jihadists seized control in 2014. | Peshmerga forces had established control over Sinjar while battling IS. The town was the site of one of the group's worst atrocities, when thousands of Yazidis were killed and enslaved after the jihadists seized control in 2014. |
| Territorial control before 16 Oct 2017 | Territorial control before 16 Oct 2017 |
| What is Baghdad saying? | What is Baghdad saying? |
| Mr Abadi said in a statement on Monday that the operation in Kirkuk was necessary to "protect the unity of the country, which was in danger of partition" because of the referendum. | Mr Abadi said in a statement on Monday that the operation in Kirkuk was necessary to "protect the unity of the country, which was in danger of partition" because of the referendum. |
| "We call upon all citizens to co-operate with our heroic armed forces, which are committed to our strict directives to protect civilians in the first place, and to impose security and order, and to protect state installations and institutions," he added. | "We call upon all citizens to co-operate with our heroic armed forces, which are committed to our strict directives to protect civilians in the first place, and to impose security and order, and to protect state installations and institutions," he added. |
| The United States said it was "very concerned" by reports of violence around Kirkuk and urged "calm". | The United States said it was "very concerned" by reports of violence around Kirkuk and urged "calm". |
| The speed with which Iraqi forces reached the centre of Kirkuk has led the two main armed Kurdish parties to accuse each other of "betrayal". | The speed with which Iraqi forces reached the centre of Kirkuk has led the two main armed Kurdish parties to accuse each other of "betrayal". |
| The Peshmerga General Command, which is led by President Massoud Barzani of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), accused officials from the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of aiding "the plot against the people of Kurdistan". | The Peshmerga General Command, which is led by President Massoud Barzani of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), accused officials from the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of aiding "the plot against the people of Kurdistan". |
| The PUK denied being part of ordering any withdrawal, saying dozens of their fighters had been killed and hurt, but noted "not even one KDP Peshmerga has been martyred as of yet in the fighting in Kirkuk". | The PUK denied being part of ordering any withdrawal, saying dozens of their fighters had been killed and hurt, but noted "not even one KDP Peshmerga has been martyred as of yet in the fighting in Kirkuk". |
| Meanwhile Turkey, which fears Kurdish independence moves in Iraq could fuel similar demands among its own Kurdish minority, praised Baghdad, saying it was "ready for any form of co-operation with the Iraqi government in order to end the PKK presence in Iraqi territory". | Meanwhile Turkey, which fears Kurdish independence moves in Iraq could fuel similar demands among its own Kurdish minority, praised Baghdad, saying it was "ready for any form of co-operation with the Iraqi government in order to end the PKK presence in Iraqi territory". |
| The PKK - or Kurdistan Workers' Party - is a Turkish-Kurdish rebel group which has been fighting for autonomy since the 1980s. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, as well as by the EU and US. | The PKK - or Kurdistan Workers' Party - is a Turkish-Kurdish rebel group which has been fighting for autonomy since the 1980s. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, as well as by the EU and US. |