Three months after Baghdad took control, tensions high in Kirkuk
The return of Iraqi federal rule in Kirkuk has brought about tensions between the Kurds and others amid joint attempts by the Kurds and the Baghdad government to calm the situation in the province.
KIRKUK, Iraq — In a Jan. 4 meeting with a delegation representing Kurdistan’s opposition parties, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that an agreement has been reached to calm the situation in Kirkuk province and in the district of Tuz Khormato.
The retaking of Kirkuk by the Iraqi army in October has changed the balance of power in the oil-rich town that had been under full control of the Kurds since 2014. The operation was part of Baghdad’s retaliatory measures after the Kurds held an independence referendum that has since been declared illegal.
