Iraq refutes army withdrawal from Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmatu
Shafaq News- Saladin
A Saladin Provincial Council member on Sunday denied reports that Iraqi army units had withdrawn from the outskirts of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu district and been replaced by Peshmerga forces.
Atef Al-Najjar told Shafaq News that he contacted Turkmen Parliamentary Bloc leader Ersat Salihi before consulting senior officials in Baghdad, who described the information as “incorrect and baseless.”
The denial came after reports circulated on Saturday that the Iraqi military had decided to dissolve the East Tigris Operations Command, which oversees an area stretching from southern Kirkuk to Tuz Khurmatu, as part of a reorganization of military responsibilities.
An informed security source told Shafaq News that the command’s jurisdiction would remain under federal control through a new structure to be established by the General Command of the Armed Forces.
Salihi had urged Baghdad to retain federal troops in both areas, warning that any change could revive tensions and expressing confidence that the country’s leadership would safeguard the interests of their diverse communities.
Kirkuk is among the territories disputed between Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Article 140 of the Constitution established a process to determine the status of Kirkuk and other contested areas, but it has never been completed. Peshmerga forces took control of the province during the 2014 ISIS offensive before federal troops reasserted authority in October 2017. Tuz Khurmatu, administratively part of Saladin province, is also disputed.
