The Latest on Iraq, where federal forces have attacked the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk (all times local):
KIRKUK, Iraq (AP) — The Latest on Iraq, where federal forces have attacked the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk (all times local):
10 a.m.
Iraq’s Interior Ministry says federal forces have captured a power plant and a police station south of Kirkuk after what Kurdish officials described as a major assault aimed at driving Kurdish forces from the disputed city.
Monday’s brief statement from the Interior Ministry, on «Operation Impose Security on Kirkuk,» provided no details on the fighting or casualties, saying only that federal forces had taken control of industrial areas near the city.
Kurdish officials say federal forces launched a major assault south of the city that caused «lots of casualties,» without providing exact figures. It was not immediately possible to independently confirm their claims.
Tensions around Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city claimed by the Kurdish autonomous region and the central government, have soared since the Kurds voted for independence last month in a referendum condemned as unconstitutional by Baghdad.
Both the federal forces and the Kurdish forces are close U. S. allies that have been armed and trained as part of the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group.
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9:45 a.m.
The U. S.-led coalition is urging Iraqi and Kurdish forces to «avoid escalatory actions» after federal forces launched an assault south of the disputed northern city of Kirkuk, sparking clashes with the Kurds.
U. S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman, tweeted that the coalition is «closely monitoring sit. near Kirkuk; urge all sides to avoid escalatory actions. Finish the fight vs. #ISIS, biggest threat to all.»
The U. S.-led coalition has armed and trained federal and Kurdish forces in the battle against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, which is still ongoing despite the retaking of the northern city of Mosul earlier this year.
Iraqi forces launched a major operation south of Kirkuk late Sunday and have captured industrial areas near the city. Kurdish officials say their forces have sustained casualties.
Tensions have been soaring since the Kurds voted for independence last month in a non-binding referendum rejected by the central government as well as the United States.
9:15 a.m.
An Iraqi Kurdish commander says federal forces have seized an oil and gas company and other industrial areas south of Kirkuk in fighting with Kurdish forces that caused «lots of casualties.»
Brig. Gen. Bahzad Ahmed, a spokesman for Kurdish forces, said Monday the Iraqi troops have «burnt lots of houses and killed many people» in Toz Khormato and Daquq, south of the disputed city. He said Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, have «destroyed one or two of their tanks.»
His claims could not be independently verified.
Kurdish officials say federal forces launched an assault south of Kirkuk late Sunday, aiming to capture a military base and surrounding oil wells.
The multi-ethnic city has been at the heart of a long-running dispute between the Kurds and the federal government that escalated following last month’s non-binding Kurdish vote for independence.
The U. S. has armed and trained Iraqi and Kurdish forces, both of which are at war with the Islamic State group.
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8:30 a.m.
Iraqi Kurdish officials say federal forces and state-backed militias have launched a «major, multi-pronged» attack aimed at retaking the disputed northern city of Kirkuk.
The Kurdistan Region Security Council says in a statement Monday that Kurdish forces known as peshmerga have destroyed at least five U. S.-supplied Humvees being used by the state-sanctioned militias following the «unprovoked attack» south of the city.
Tensions have soared since the Kurds held a non-binding referendum last month in which they voted for independence from Iraq. The central government, along with neighboring Turkey and Iran, rejected the vote.
The United States has supplied and trained Iraqi federal forces and the peshmerga, both of which are fighting the Islamic State group. The U. S. also opposed the referendum.
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