Barzani: US knew Iraqi forces planned Kirkuk takeover

Masoud Barzani, the ex-president of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, has said that a major Iraqi operation last month to take over Kirkuk and other Kurdish-held areas took place with the full knowledge of the US and the UK.

The Iraqi army, backed by Shia militia, captured the entirety of the oil-rich Kirkuk province on October 21 after a rapid advance in the wake of a controversial referendum on Kurdish secession that Baghdad had declared illegal.

"We do believe, yes, that the operation to take over Kirkuk was led by Iranians with the knowledge of the US and British officials," Barzani, 71, said in an interview with Newsweek.
 [aljazeera.com]
 8/11/17
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