Iraqi forces yesterday seized a key military base, an airport and an oil field from Kurdish fighters in disputed Kirkuk Province in a major operation sparked by an independence referendum.
The rapid advance aims to retake oil and military sites that Kurdish forces took over during the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
The US-led coalition against IS urged the two sides to “avoid escalatory actions” and to focus on fighting the extremists, who are on the verge of losing their last strongholds in Iraq.
Photo: AFP
Thousands of residents were seen fleeing Kurdish districts of Kirkuk City, heading in buses and cars toward the autonomous Kurdistan region.
At the same time, crowds on the streets of Kirkuk’s southern outskirts welcomed Iraqi forces as they entered the city, where they were seen raising Iraqi flags in the place of Kurdish ones.
Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces early yesterday exchanged artillery fire south of the capital of the province, after the launch of the operation on Sunday night.
A Kurdish health official said at least 10 Peshmerga fighters were killed and 27 wounded during fighting overnight, but there was no confirmation of the toll from the Kurdish government.
The rapid progress of Iraqi forces suggested that Kurdish fighters were withdrawing with little or no resistance in many areas.
The Iraqi Joint Operations Command said that its forces had retaken the K1 military base northwest of Kirkuk, the military airport east of the city and the Baba Gargar oil field, one of six in the disputed region.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the operation was necessary to “protect the unity of the country, which was in danger of partition” because of the referendum.
Peshmerga forces loyal to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a political party linked to Iraqi President Fuad Masum, who is himself a Kurd, were reported to be withdrawing from areas under their control.
Pro-PUK forces were deployed south of the city, including at oil fields, while fighters loyal to the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party, linked to Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani who initiated the referendum, were deployed to the north.
Two people were killed in artillery exchanges at Tuz Khurmatu, a doctor at a city hospital said.
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