Iraqi parliament asks leader Abadi to take back Kurd-held Kirkuk

The Iraqi parliament on Sept. 27 asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to the Kurdish-held region of Kirkuk and take control of its oilfields, as the prime minister demanded that Kurdish administration “cancel” the outcome of the independence referendum.

Kirkuk, claimed by the Kurds, is also home to Turkmen and Arab communities. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) included it in the independence referendum held on Sept. 25.

“The government has to bring back the oilfields of Kirkuk under the control of the oil ministry,” said the resolution voted by parliament in Baghdad.

It called on Abadi to “issue orders for the security forces to deploy in the disputed areas, including Kirkuk.”
In a speech to parliament, Abadi renewed his ultimatum to Masoud Barzani’s KRG to hand over control of international airports by Sept. 29 or face a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region.

People in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence in the non-binding referendum. Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the governments in Baghdad, Turkey and Iran. The United States pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.

“We won’t have a dialogue about the referendum outcome,” Abadi told parliament. “If they want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome. We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution.”

His demand was rejected by KRG Transport Minister Mowlud Murad on Sept. 27. He told a news conference in Arbil that keeping control of airports and maintaining direct international flights to Erbil was necessary for the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

Kurdish leaders say the referendum was held to give them a mandate to negotiate the peaceful secession of their region with Baghdad and Iraq’s powerful neighbors [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and Turkey. 

Murad expressed the hope that the crisis could be resolved by Sept. 29, saying it would damage Kurdistan’s economy.  

In a televised address late on Sept. 26, Barzani had urged Abadi “not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems.”

“We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad,” he said, insisting the referendum was not meant “to delimit the border [between Kurdistan and Iraq], nor to impose it de facto.”

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Iraq's parliament asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to the Kurdish-held region of Kirkuk and take control of its oilfields on Wednesday, as reports confirmed a top-ranking military delegation from the country travelled to neighbouring Iran to coordinate military efforts.

"The government has to bring back the oilfields of Kirkuk under the control of the oil ministry," said the resolution voted by parliament in Baghdad.

It called on Abadi to "issue orders for the security forces to deploy in the disputed areas, including Kirkuk" where the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have maintained control since 2014.

Twelve other points were highlighted in the resolution, including legal action against "all officials responsible for the unilateral referendum, including Masoud Barzani, whoe legal term ended over two years ago," the statement said.

"All oilfields not under federal control will no longer be eligible for export with the aid of neighbouring countries.

"All consulates in the Kurdish region of Iraq will be asked to close their missions within the region," it adds.

The requests follows an Iraqi military statement announcing a senior ranking delegation from Iraq's armed forces headed to neighbouring Iran "to coordinate military efforts".

No further details about the aim of the visit were provided, however it is believed to be part of retaliatory measures taken by the government in Baghdad following the independence referendum held in Iraq's northern Kurdish region on Monday.

It comes after Iran [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and Turkey against calls for Kurdish independence.

All three countries have significant Kurdish minorities, causing huge concern among the governments in Tehran, Ankara and Baghdad since the referendum was held.

"The Iraqi people won't stand silent. Iran and Turkey and other regional countries won't stand silent and will stand against this abhorrent deviation," Ali Akbar Velayati, top advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency as saying.

"The Muslim nations will not allow the creation of a second Israel," he added, comparing a potential independent Kurdish state to Israel, created in 1948.

On Tuesday, state media also reported that an Iranian army commander confirmed that new missile systems had been installed along the Iran-Iraq border to "firmly respond to any invasion".

This latest action follows Tehran's cancelling of all flights between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran on Sunday.

Baghdad has also taken action following the election, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanding that Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region surrender control of its airport by Friday.

Turkey, meanwhile, has threatened to sever the pipeline that exports oil out of the resource-rich Kurdish region of Iraq.

Claims of victory
In a televised address on Tuesday, Iraqi-Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani called on Iraq's federal government to engage in "serious dialogue ... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. 

"We may face hardship but we will overcome," Barzani added, urging world powers  "to respect the will of millions of people" who partook in the referendum.

Early poll results indicate an overwhelming 'yes' victory of over 90 percent, according to Kurdish boradcaster Rudaw.

The final result is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

While the outcome of the referendum is non-binding, it is expected that Barxani will atemot to use a possible 'yes' victory to bolster his mandate to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]with Baghdad.

For now, however, Baghdad has ruled out talks on the matter.

Iran and Turkey oppose any move towards Kurdish secession and their armies have started joint drills near their borders with Iraqi Kurdistan in recent days. Iraq and Turkey have also held joint military drills.

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Iraqi parliamentarians voted Wednesday to deploy the country’s security forces to the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk to reclaim control of the oil-rich enclave from Kurdish control.

Approval of the parliamentary resolution demanding Iraqi troops be sent to Kirkuk came days after residents of the semi-autonomous Kurdish territory in the north overwhelmingly supported an independence referendum vote, which could lay the groundwork for an new Kurdish state.

“The government must bring back the oilfields of Kirkuk which are controlled by the ministry of oil,” the resolution states.

Kirkuk has been a major flashpoint in ongoing tensions between Irbil and Baghdad, since Kurdish peshmerga liberated the city from Islamic State control last year. After capturing Kirkuk from ISIS, KRG President Masoud Barzani said the city would remain under peshmerga protection indefinitely. That pronouncement effectively put one of Iraq’s top oil-producing territories under Irbil’s control.

The move is the latest in a string of actions taken by Baghdad in opposition to the Kurdish independence referendum, the first vote of its kind since the creation of Iraqi Kurdistan, officially known as the Kurdistan Regional Government or KRG. In the wake of Monday’s successful vote, Mr. Barzani has stated publicly it could take upwards of two years

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