Kirkuk Archives - Iran News Daily

4 Iraqi Officers Injured in ISIS Attack on Kirkuk

reporter 1222 — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:49:19 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – An Iraqi security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said four policemen were injured in a ISIS attack in Kirkuk.

The source told Shafaq News that ISIS terrorists launched an attack on the headquarters of the Federal Police in Hawija district on Monday.

The Iraqi police repelled the attack and four officers were injured during the counterattack.

In recent months, suspected ISIS militants have stepped up attacks, particularly in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin (north), and Diyala (east), known as the “Triangle of Death”.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS by reclaiming all of its territories – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terrorist group in 2014.

However, the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in some areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks.

The Iraqi army and popular forces continue to carry out frequent operations against the terror group in these parts of the country.

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Iraq Army Frustrates ISIS Operation in Kirkuk

reporter 1222 — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:26:14 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi army forces thwarted an ISIS terrorist operation in Kirkuk province during a large-scale operation.

The ISIS takfiri terrorists tried to take control of an area in Kirkuk province, Almasalah reported.

According to the report, the Takfiris attacked the Al-Riyadh area in Kirkuk for this purpose.

The attempt of the Takfiri terrorists failed with the intervention of the Iraqi army, and they did not succeed in achieving their goals in Kirkuk.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi army had previously repelled Takfiri attacks in Saladin and Diyala provinces.

The ISIS terrorist group has a number of cells in the northern, eastern and southern regions of Iraq and has intensified its attacks on Iraqi civilians and security forces in the past two months which has been unprecedented since 2017.

In recent months, Hashd al-Sha’abi forces and the Iraqi Army have carried out a series of operations against ISIL members in Al Anbar, Nineveh, Saladin governorates since the middle of last month.

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PMU Razes ISIL Tunnels in Kirkuk

reporter 1222 — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 08:46:57 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi forces destroyed several tunnels belonging to ISIL elements in western Kirkuk.

Hashd al-Sha’abi forces are continuing their operations against the remaining elements of the ISIL terrorist organization in various parts of Iraq, according to Al Maalomah.

As part of its counter-terrorism operation, Hashd al-Sha’abi forces destroyed at least six tunnels belonging to ISIL terrorists in western Kirkuk.

Although the ISIL terrorist forces have been defeated in Iraq, the remaining elements of this organization carry out terrorist operations in different areas from time to time.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, along with the Iraqi security forces, are conducting counter-terrorism operations against ISIL forces in various parts of the country.

In recent months, various areas of some Iraqi provinces have been the site of ISIL hideouts, and Hashd al-Sha’abi forces have carried out dozens of operations in the provinces.

Hashd al-Sha’abi forces have launched a series of operations against ISIL members in Al Anbar, Nineveh, Saladin governorates since the middle of last month.

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Iraqi Aircraft Kill 23 ISIS Members in Kirkuk

reporter 1222 — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:31:57 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi military aircraft bombarded an ISIS terror group hideout south of Kirkuk, managing to kill 23 of them, security sources said.

According to the sources, 23 ISIS militants were killed on Monday after Iraqi aircraft bombed their hideout in Kirkuk’s Wadi al-Shay area following reconnaissance operations by the Arab country’s military.

Earlier in the day, an attack on the district of Molla Abdollah in southern Kirkuk was repelled by Iraqi troops.

During the recent clashes in Kirkuk, one Iraqi serviceman was killed and four others injured, the sources added.

ISIS has intensified its attacks in Iraq amid Baghdad’s call on the US to pull out its forces from the Arab country.

In a vote on January 5, the Iraqi parliament called for an end to the presence of all foreign troops, including Americans.

The vote came two days after the US military – acting on US President Donald Trump’s order – launched a fatal drone strike on senior Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.

The attack also claimed the lives of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU or Hashd al-Sha’abi, along with eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.

Washington has threatened sanctions should US troops be expelled instead of heeding the Iraqi parliament’s call to end the occupation of the country.

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Iraqi Troops Repel ISIS Attacks in Kirkuk, Diyala

reporter 1222 — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 08:41:13 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi troops and fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) repelled two major attacks by ISIS terrorists in the provinces of Kirkuk and Diyala.

According to reports by Iraqi media and security sources, members of the ISIS terror group on Sunday launched an attack on the district of Molla Abdollah in southern Kirkuk but were pushed back by Iraqi troops.

The sources added that a member of Iraq’s Federal Police was killed in the process of the counterattack.

A number of the terrorists were also killed and dozens of them fled the battlefield, the reports added.

The Iraqi troops also managed to thwart an attack by the Takfiri group against rural areas near the town of Jalawla in Diyala province.

Daesh has intensified its attacks in Iraq amid Baghdad’s call on the US to pull out its forces from the Arab country.

In a vote on January 5, the Iraqi parliament called for an end to the presence of all foreign troops, including Americans.

The attack also claimed the lives of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU or Hashd al-Sha’abi, along with eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.

Washington has threatened sanctions should US troops be expelled instead of heeding the Iraqi parliament’s call to end the occupation of the country.

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Kurds’ Retreat from Kirkuk Foils Barzani’s Plot against Region

reporter 1222 — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 05:30:50 +0000

TEHRAN– A member of Iran’s Expediency Council said the Kurdish Peshmerga forces’ withdrawal from the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk put an end to a dangerous plot hatched against regional security.

With the Kurdish forces’ retreat from Kirkuk today, the back of a Barzani’s scheme against the region’s security was broken, Ali Akbar Velayati said on Monday, referring to President of Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani.

He made the remarks after a convoy of Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces earlier in the day took control of the governorate building in the central part of Kirkuk, located 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of capital Baghdad.

“Barzani’s, and behind the scenes Israel’s, objective was seizing Kirkuk’s oil wells in favor of Israel. For years, no group or minority in the region had proudly raised the flag of the Zionist regime (but the Kurdish region’s authorities recently did),” he said.

Velayati added that it was a dangerous plot in the region but the Iraqi government powerfully foiled it.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday ordered the hoisting of Iraqi national flag in Kirkuk.

According to the city’s residents, before hoisting the national flag, Iraqi forces removed the Kurdish flag from the governorate building.

Security sources and residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government forces arrived at the site, and took position in the vicinity alongside the local city police.

They added that CTS members drove to Kirkuk downtown after they had captured the airport earlier in the day from Kurdish forces.

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Iraqi forces take control of ‘vast’ regions in disputed Kirkuk

reporter 1222 — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 06:32:59 +0000

Iraqi forces say they have taken control of “vast areas” of Kirkuk following clashes with Kurdish Peshmerga forces who had occupied the oil-rich region.

The move was announced via Iraqi state TV early on Monday, shortly after reports of government forces advancing towards strategic locations such as airfields and airbases located to the west of the city.

According to Kurdish and Iraqi officials, artillery fire is being exchanged with government forces to the south of the city.

A Kurdish security official has denied that Iraqi forces were able to get closer to the city or take territory from the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

The televised report noted that the orders for the military “to impose security in Kirkuk in cooperation with the population and the Peshmerga” had been given by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The developments occurred several hours after Iraq’s central government accused Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities of bringing militants from Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to the Kirkuk, saying it considered the move as a “declaration of war.”

The Iraqi government has announced that it will impose its authority over Kirkuk and other disputed areas.

The statement came just hours before the expiry of a deadline for Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to withdraw from strategic areas in Kirkuk.

US calls for de-escalation of situation

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has called on Iraqi and Kurdish forces to “avoid escalatory actions” and revert to negotiations to defuse tensions and solve their problems.

“We oppose violence from any party, and urge against destabilizing actions that distract from the fight against Daesh and further undermine Iraq’s stability,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Laura Seal.

“We continue to support a unified Iraq…Despite the Kurdistan Regional Government’s unfortunate decision to pursue a unilateral referendum, dialogue remains the best option to defuse ongoing tensions and longstanding issues, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution,” she added.

The latest incidents come amid simmering tensions between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over a recent controversial referendum on the secession of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region.

The plebiscite took place on September 25, sparking strong objection from Baghdad. Iraq’s neighbors and the international community also voiced concerns about the repercussions of the vote, which was only supported by Israel.

Kirkuk, with some 10 percent of Iraq’s oil reserves, has long been contested by Baghdad and Erbil.

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Iraqi parliament votes to dismiss Kirkuk governor over independence vote

reporter 1222 — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 05:00:21 +0000

The Iraqi parliament has voted to dismiss the governor of the northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk after the provincial council voted to take part in the upcoming Kurdish independence referendum irrespective of the central government’s strong opposition to the planned vote.

An unnamed parliamentary source told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network on Thursday that Iraqi legislators had voted on removing Najmiddin Karim from office.

Earlier in the day, the office of Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri announced in a statement that it had received a request from the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanding a voting session to discharge 68-year-old Karim.

Najmiddin Karim, the governor of Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Massoud Barzani, has rejected the Iraqi parliament’s vote on the dismissal of the Kirkuk governor.

“The decision comes from an Arab legislature rather than a federal one,” said KDP Deputy Chairman Shakhawan Abdullah.

Deputy Chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Shakhawan Abdullah

The Iraqi parliament’s decision regarding provinces within the Kurdistan region is not recognized by the KRG as the Kirkuk governor declined on August 18 to lower the flag of the Kurdistan region in the face of a court ruling to replace the flag with Iraq’s national flag, Abdullah pointed out.

On August 29, 22 of the 24 councilors present in the 41-member Kirkuk council voted in favor of holding the Kurdish independence referendum.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi

Abadi described the vote by Kirkuk provincial council as a wrong move, adding that the planned referendum was illegal and worthless.

The Iraqi government spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, also lambasted the vote as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

Furthermore, the Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced the Kirkuk provincial council’s decision as “a serious violation of the Iraqi constitution.”

The ministry said in a statement that the decision was made amid the boycott by local Arab and Turkmen blocs, describing the move as “a new episode in the series of mistakes.”

It further highlighted that the September 25 referendum was a mistake itself, explaining that insistence on treading a “dangerous path” would serve neither the Middle East region nor Iraq.

Karim is a staunch supporter of the Kurdish independence referendum.

The Iraqi parliament voted on Tuesday to reject the plebiscite, requiring the prime minister and the central government in Baghdad to “take all steps to protect the unity of Iraq and open a serious dialogue” with Kurdish leaders. The decision prompted a walkout by Kurdish lawmakers.

Barzani condemns Iraqi parliament vote

In a related development on Thursday, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani, speaking at a pro-referendum rally in Zakho, a city in Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan, condemned the vote by the Iraqi parliament.

He said Baghdad had left no room for negotiations over the independence referendum, according to Kurdish TV channel, Kurdistan 24.

Iraqi parliament vote ‘unlawful’

Meanwhile, Karim, himself, condemned as “unlawful” the vote by the Iraqi lawmakers to remove him and vowed to remain in power.

“I will stay in office,” Kareem told Reuters, hours after the parliamentary vote, adding, “The referendum will go ahead as planned.”

Barzani adviser rejects governor dismissal

Following the vote, Hoshyar Zebari, an adviser to Barzani, said that the Iraqi parliament “has no right” to remove Kirkuk’s governor from office.

Hoshyar Zebari, an adviser to President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Massoud Barzani (Photo by Xinhua news agency)

“He is an elected governor of the council of Kirkuk,” said Zebari, adding, “That is the only body that can remove him.”

‘Kurdish independence referendum historic mistake’

Furthermore, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag has hailed the Iraqi parliament’s decision to reject the referendum on Kurdish independence.

“Barzani’s referendum decision is a historic mistake. Turkey will follow policies that take Iraq’s territorial integrity as a basis,” Bozdag said.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag (Photo by Anadolu news agency)

“The northern Iraq referendum must be cancelled, if not it will have a cost and retribution,” he added, warning that the move would endanger regional peace and cause security risks.

Kurdish lawmakers to study Western plan to delay vote

Meanwhile, Kurdish leaders will study a Western delegation’s plan to delay the September referendum, according to a Thursday statement from the Kurdish presidency.

A delegation from the US, UN and UK met with Barzani on Thursday with a proposal to postpone the referendum vote to prevent disruption of the US-led coalition’s alleged fight against the Daesh terrorist group.

In June, Abadi described as untimely the decision by Barzani to hold the referendum.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the state-run TRT Haber television news network last month that the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s plans to hold the independence referendum would lead to a “civil war” in Iraq.

Iran has also expressed opposition to the “unilateral” scheme, underlining the need to maintain the integrity and stability of Iraq and insisting that the Kurdistan region is part of the majority Arab state.

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