Spokesman for Iraq’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hadithi has said the dispute between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdish region has become enflamed as pro-government forces advance towards areas controlled by Daesh.

Al-Hadithi told Anadolu news agency on Sunday that the issue of Iraq’s disputed areas has reignited after Daesh gained control of more areas in Iraq and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces were able to retake some of the disputed territories in Nineveh and Kirkuk.

According to al-Hadithi, the Iraqi government is giving priority to the fight against terrorism and Daesh, stressing that “it is not good or wise to drag the country to internal conflicts and disagreements”.

“We can solve the problem of the disputed areas at a later date and it is not in anyone’s interest to use the current security conditions to impose a fait accompli,” he said.

Hadithi called for parties not to manipulate the administrative borders of Nineveh province in any way, saying that “Nineveh must be managed by all the parties”.