Kurdish Pershmerga forces have taken control of Kirkuk
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) The Ministry of Peshmerga in Kurdistan Region announced that its forces have taken full control of Kirkuk after the Iraqi Army’s Dijila Operations Command retreated from its position for fear of attacks by ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The Ministry of Peshmerga’s Secretary General, Jabbar Yawar, said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com that “Peshmerga forces are in control of the majority of the Kurdistan Region outside of KRG administration.”
The statement pointed out that “the soldiers of the Iraqi Army forces shared a large part of their equipment and military supplies with our forces after their retreat.” The Dijila Operations Command is part of the Iraqi Army under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and was deployed in 2012 in and around disputed territories. It has been a source of tension between Erbil and Baghdad since its establishment.
Kirkuk has come under the control of the Peshmerga forces on the heels of ISIL advances against cities and provinces located in northwest Iraq as of Tuesday such as Salahuddin, Nineveh, Diyala and Kirkuk. Kirkuk is located within a disputed area in the center of Kurdistan Region, one of the oil-rich provinces.
In a statement to IraqiNews.com, Jabbar Yawar pointed out that the Kurdistan Regional Government has in the past issued warnings that such events would occur in Mosul and parts of Iraq, particularly given the surge of terrorist activities in these areas. He said, “Especially in Ninewa, Salahaddin and Anbar governorates, the Iraqi security agencies and ministries have been incapable and soldiers and employees were only interested in collecting their salaries.” He added that the collapse of these forces after their first engagement in battle had been predicted, but “Baghdad did not heed the Kurdistan Regional Government’s warnings and now, unfortunately, our predictions have come to pass.”
Today the central Iraqi government’s Ministry of Defense announced its readiness to launch a large-scale military campaign against ISIL. On Tuesday the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had sought parliamentary approval to declare a State of Emergency, however, parliament failed to convene an emergency meeting today to discuss the topic.