Iraq鈥檚 central government has deployed a fresh Federal Police unit to Kirkuk with a view to cementing its grip on the oil-rich province, an Iraqi lawmaker said Tuesday.
鈥淜irkuk requires reinforcements given recent threats by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to reassert its presence in disputed parts of Iraq,鈥� MP Jassim Mohamed told Anadolu Agency.
Mohamed made the assertion only a few hours after the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF)鈥檚 Kirkuk headquarters came under rocket attack by unknown aggressors.
The ITF, which represents the country鈥檚 sizeable Turkmen community, holds two seats in Iraq鈥檚 328-seat parliament and nine out of 41 seats in Kirkuk鈥檚 provincial council.
Mohamed accused the KDP of 鈥渁ttempting to destabilize Kirkuk with a view to giving the impression that the situation was better before federal forces assumed control of the area鈥�.
Late last year, Iraqi federal forces seized control of areas 鈥渄isputed鈥� between Baghdad and northern Iraq鈥檚 Kurdish Regional Government (of which the KDP is a leading component), including Kirkuk.
The deployments came shortly after the KRG held an ill-fated referendum on regional independence on Sept. 25.
The illegitimate poll swiftly prompted Baghdad to impose a raft of sanctions on the Kurdish region, including a ban on international flights that remains in effect until today.
By Ali Jawad in Baghdad
Anadolu Agency
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