UPDATE – Kirkuk governor asks army to step in after disturbances

UPDATES WITH IRAQI TURKMEN FRONT STATEMENT</p> <p>By Ibrahim Saleh</p> <p>BAGHDAD (AA) – The governor of Kirkuk on Wednesday asked the central government in Baghdad to send military reinforcements to the province after members of a Kurdish political party raised Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) flags at a rally.</p> <p>Late Tuesday, Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk dispersed a rally staged by supporters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) after the latter began waving KRG flags.</p> <p>The Erbil-based KRG had controlled the oil-rich Kirkuk province from mid-2014 until late 2017.</p> <p>Kirkuk Governor Saeed al-Jabouri has reportedly urged local residents to refrain from any activities that could aggravate tensions further.</p> <p>“We have directed the security forces to address the situation with a view to safeguarding the city’s security and stability,&quot; he was quoted as saying.</p> <p>Al-Jabouri has reportedly requested that Baghdad send military reinforcements “to thwart those who would attempt to undermine security&quot;.</p> <p>In a Wednesday statement, the Iraqi Turkmen Front criticized PUK supporters for raising the flags, saying the move was intended “to raise tensions”. </p> <p>“[Raising KRG flags] violates both the law and the Iraqi state’s sovereignty over Kirkuk,” the statement read. </p> <p>In October 2017, Iraqi federal forces moved into several areas “disputed” between Baghdad and Erbil, including Kirkuk.</p> <p>The deployments were accompanied by the withdrawal from these areas of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters loyal to the KRG.</p> <p>The moves came shortly after the KRG held an illegitimate referendum on regional independence that was widely condemned by states of the region.