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Iraqi forces retake Kurdish-held areas in Nineveh province Iraq takes disputed areas as Kurds 'withdraw to 2014 lines'
(about 2 hours later)
Iraqi government forces say they have taken control of more disputed areas previously held by Kurdish forces. Iraq's military says it has completed an operation to retake disputed areas held by Kurdish forces since 2014.
The positions in Nineveh province, including the Mosul Dam, had been captured by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters over the past three years during fighting with so-called Islamic State. On Monday and Tuesday troops retook the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk and its oilfields, as well as parts of Nineveh and Diyala provinces.
Earlier this week, soldiers, police and special forces took control of the city of Kirkuk and nearby oilfields. Peshmerga fighters had seized the areas while battling so-called Islamic State.
The operation came weeks after the Kurds held an independence referendum. The military operation came three weeks after the Kurds held an independence referendum, which Iraq's prime minister said was now a "thing of the past".
Voters in the autonomous Kurdistan Region and disputed areas then controlled by the Peshmerga overwhelmingly backed secession, but the vote was declared illegal by the Arab-led central government in Baghdad. Mr Abadi called for dialogue with the Kurdistan Regional Government on Tuesday night, saying he wanted a "national partnership" based on Iraq's constitution.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi subsequently ordered troops to take control of all areas claimed by both his government and the Kurdish authorities. People living in the Kurdistan Region and the disputed areas overwhelmingly backed secession in the referendum, but Mr Abadi declared it illegal and rejected calls from Kurdish leaders for negotiations.
On Tuesday, Kurdish Regional President Massoud Barzani called for peace and vowed to keep working towards Kurdish independence. A statement issued by the Iraqi military on Wednesday announced that security had been "restored" in previously Kurdish-held sectors of Kirkuk province, including Dibis, Multaqa, and the Khabbaz and Bai Hassan North and South oil fields.
He also blamed the loss of Kirkuk on internal disputes between Kurdish politicians. "Forces have been redeployed and have retaken control of Khanaqin and Jalawla in Diyala province, as well as Makhmur, Bashiqa, Mosul dam, Sinjar and other areas in the Nineveh plains," it added.
Peshmerga fighters moved into the areas after IS swept across northern and western Iraq in June 2014 and the army collapsed.
A senior Iraqi military commander also told Reuters news agency on Wednesday that the Peshmerga had withdrawn to pre-2014 lines.
The military's announcement came a day after Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani vowed to keep working towards Kurdish independence, saying the referendum was not held "in vain".
He did not call for dialogue with the government, but stressed: "Kurds have always been against waging wars and have worked in pursuit of peace."
Mr Barzani also blamed the loss of Kirkuk on internal Kurdish disputes.
The president's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has accused the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of ordering Peshmerga under its control to withdraw in the face of the Iraqi military advance.
There was only one serious clash on the outskirts of Kirkuk on Monday, which is reported to have left between three and 11 combatants dead.
A sudden switchA sudden switch
By Orla Guerin, BBC News, KirkukBy 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.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.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 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.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 Massoud Barzani for triggering the Iraqi takeover with last month's independence vote.Some were angry at Peshmerga fighters for not defending the city. Others blamed Massoud Barzani for triggering the Iraqi takeover with last month's independence vote.
A large poster of the president 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.A large poster of the president 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 were vital to the Kurdish economy.
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. It lay outside the administrative boundary of the Kurdistan Region, but was claimed by both the Kurds and the central government.
On Tuesday, Iraqi forces captured the Bai Hassan and Avana oilfields run by state-owned North Oil Company, north of Kirkuk. The province is thought to have a Kurdish majority, but its capital also has large Arab and Turkmen populations.
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. About 61,000 people fled Kirkuk and surrounding areas after the Iraqi military operation began, the UN said, although some have since returned.
Peshmerga have since withdrawn from a string of other towns, including Khanaqin and Jalawla in Diyala province and Makhmour, Bashiqa, Sinjar and other areas in Nineveh province, the Iraqi military statement said.
Kurdish forces had established control over Sinjar while battling IS. The town was the site of one of the jihadist group's worst atrocities in 2014, when thousands of Yazidis were killed and enslaved.
Territorial control before 16 Oct 2017Territorial control before 16 Oct 2017