Iraqi forces have launched a major offensive over several fronts aimed at retaking the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk, allegedly causing “lots of casualties” in fighting south of the city.
The federal army, backed by Shia militias, said they seized control of the city’s international airport, in addition to an oil field, the strategic K1 military base and the Taza Khormatu district southeast of Kirkuk on Monday.
Kurdish forces known as the Peshmerga were digging in at the edge of the airport after withdrawing from their positions outside the northern city.
Hundreds of armed Kurdish residents were taking up positions inside the city anticipating an attack.
Residents of the multi-ethnic city, home to about a million Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians, stayed inside and reported hearing sporadic booms they said sounded like shelling and rocket fire.
The Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement that the Peshmerga destroyed at least five Humvee armoured vehicles being used by the state-sanctioned militias following the attack south of the city.
An Iraqi Kurdish commander said the fighting with Kurdish forces caused “lots of casualties”, without providing a specific figure.
Brigadier General Bahzad Ahmed said the Iraqi troops “burnt lots of houses and killed many people” in Tuz Khurmatu and Daquq, south of the disputed city.
His claims could not be independently verified.
Iraq’s interior ministry said in a brief statement that federal forces have taken control of a power plant, a police station and industrial areas near Kirkuk.
It provided no further details on the fighting or casualties in what it referred to as Operation Impose Security on Kirkuk.
‘Unprovoked attack’
The KRSC said in their statement that the “Peshmerga will continue to defend Kurdistan, its people and interests”.
“This was an unprovoked attack following days of Iraqi military deployments to Kurdistan’s borders.”
Hemin Hawrami, senior assistant to Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani, also said on Twitter that Peshmerga forces had been ordered “not to initiate any war, but if any advancing militia starts shooting”, then they had the “green light to use every power” to respond.
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Erbil, said Kurdish forces in and around Kirkuk “have vowed to defend it to the last man”. He added that the Kurdish governor of Kirkuk has reportedly called residents to arms, “saying anybody with a weapon should take it up and defend the city”.
Meanwhile, Iraqi state TV said that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi gave orders to the security forces “to impose security in Kirkuk in cooperation with the population and the Peshmerga”.
The Iraqi army said the operation is being spearheaded by the 9th armoured division, the federal police and counterterrorism units, Stratford reported.
“They are saying that thousands of Shia militias are very much in a supportive role,” he said.
The launch of the operation followed a tense standoff between the two sides amid an escalating row in the wake of a controversial September 25 referendum on Kurdish secession.
“It seems as if all diplomatic efforts have failed,” said Stratford, calling the push a “very worrying” development.
“Despite repeated denials by the Iraqi army that they were going to move on into the city and retake these oil fields, it seems very much as if that is happening now.”
