KIRKUK,— The Iraqi government is planning to return its army to Kirkuk. Iraqi forces fled the city in the wake of an Islamic State offensive in July 2014.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces, who entered Kirkuk and replaced the Iraqi army shortly after their forces fled, say they will not allow the Iraqi army to return.

“Kirkuk is protected by the Peshmerga forces and now we do not need any other force to protect it,” Brig. Gen. Mariwan Mohammed, a Peshmerga commander in Kirkuk, told Rudaw.

The leader of Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP Massoud Barzani said on Sunday the fate of Kirkuk lies in the hands of its residents, who will vote on the city’s future.

Mohammed explained that “when the people of Kirkuk needed them [during the IS offensive] they [the Iraqi army] fled the city. Therefore, we do not allow any force to enter Kirkuk.”

Kirkuk governor Najmadin Karim, in a meeting with the city’s provincial officials, refused permission for the Iraqi army to return to Kirkuk. His decision is halting Baghdad’s move.

Turkmen living in the city also object to the return of the Iraqi army; instead they suggest the formation of a local force reflecting the diversity of Kirkuk’s population.

“Unfortunately, 90 percent of the Iraqi army consists of one party and they do not represent other elements. Therefore the best solution would be forming a force from the people of Kirkuk including Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Christians, to protect the city,” Qasim Qazanji, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in Kirkuk, told Rudaw.

According to information obtained by Rudaw, the Iraqi army has ramped up efforts to bring their forces back to Kirkuk and base them at the Kirkuk military airport, which is now in the hands of the Peshmerga who say they are not ready to evacuate the site.

On June 10, 2014, when the Islamic State advanced near Kirkuk, the Iraqi army was unable to defend their positions and halt IS, losing the trust of the people of Kirkuk. The Peshmerga replaced them and have been successful keeping IS at bay.

The oil-rich province of Kirkuk is one of the most disputed areas by the Kurdistan regional government and the Iraqi government in Baghdad.

The Kurds are seeking to integrate Kirkuk province into the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region clamming it to be historically a Kurdish city, it lies just south border of the Kurdistan autonomous region, the population is a mix of majority Kurds and minority of Arabs, Christians and Turkmen, lies 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

Kurds have a strong cultural and emotional attachment to Kirkuk, which they call “the Kurdish Jerusalem.” Kurds see it as the rightful and perfect capital of an autonomous Kurdistan state.

Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, rudaw.net | Ekurd.net

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