Kurdish authorities united as Peshmerga reject Shia militia warnings in Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish Peshmerga forces rejected a warning from Iranian-backed Shia militia Hashd al-Shaabi to leave a strategic oil region south of Kirkuk, a Kurdish security official said on Sunday.

The Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), had given the Kurdish forces until midnight local time on Saturday to leave a position north of the Maktab Khalid junction, a security official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) told Reuters.

The strategic area controls the access to some of Kirkuk’s main oilfields, including an important airbase. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday, senior Kurdish officials met to discuss the recent crisis in the oil-rich city and also rejected the Iraqi government’s demand that it cancels the outcome of the Sep. 25 referendum as a precondition for dialogue.

Statistics following the momentous vote revealed that over 92 percent voted for secession from Iraq.

In the aftermath of the referendum, Baghdad imposed a flight ban over the Kurdistan Region and also threatened to take military action if the results were not canceled.

Officials from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Region’s two leading political parties, as well as Iraqi President Fuad Masum, and Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani attended the meeting on Sunday.

The assembly described the advance of PMF and Iraqi troops in Kirkuk as “military threats,” and pledged to defend the Kurdish-held territory, Reuters reported.

In a joint statement following the meeting, the Kurdish officials agreed on five points and urged the start of “a unique, responsible, and constructive dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad.”

Not only have the Peshmerga refused to give up their positions, but the Kurdish leadership has also remained strong and united in the face of Baghdad’s threats.

Kirkuk, a disputed territory between the KRG and central government of Iraq, is now under Kurdish control after the Iraqi army abandoned their posts following the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in 2014.

Peshmerga forces, however, stood strong and prevented the militant group from taking control of the region.