Kurdish security forces and volunteers deploy in the southern entrance of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. Iraqi Kurdish officials said early Monday that federal forces and state-backed militias have launched a “major, multi-pronged” attack aimed at retaking the disputed northern city of Kirkuk, causing “lots of casualties” in fighting south of the city. (AP Photo/Emad Matti)
October 16, 2017
OAN Newsroom
The Department of Defense is urging Iraq’s government and Kurdish officials to refrain from de-stabilizing actions, and instead focus on fighting the Islamic State.
This comes after Iraqi troops moved into the Kurdish-held region of Kirkuk Saturday night.
In a statement issued late Sunday, the Pentagon called for dialogue between Baghdad and Kurdish leaders, and voiced support for Iraq’s national unity.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government said the deployment of its military in the disputed areas isn’t for military confrontation with the Kurds.
“The Iraqi government forces and the Kurdish forces have been existing at the same time in many areas,” said Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command. “Hawija is Iraqi territory, so it’s the duty of the federal government and the government forces to liberate this area, and both the government forces and Kurdish forces existing on the front line is a very normal situation.”
In its statement, the DOD also said tensions between the Iraqi government and Kurdish leaders should be defused in accordance with Iraq’s constitution.
