UPDATE 9:23 PM EST
Top #PUK Official: #Peshmerga Fully Committed to Defend #Kirkuk – #BasNewshttps://t.co/2JByR73FAu pic.twitter.com/3nVpLC5eyx
— BasNews English (@EnglishBasNews) October 16, 2017
UPDATE 9:14 pm EST: If this is true, it’s shameful.
Kurdish official blamed the escalation (in #Kirkuk) on the US. “They (Iraqi officials) planned this for days. America wouldn’t engage – FT
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) October 16, 2017
Insanity.
Iraqi government with U.S. military training and equipment advances on the Peshmerga-held Kirkuk seeking to retake oil fields and airports. Extra fun: Iran’s military strategists are helping the Iraqi forces. These are the guys who just got labeled as terrorists:
Now is the test for the U.S., isn’t it. #IRGC is labelled a terrorist group and militias it controls are attacking an allied statelet.
— Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) October 16, 2017
Meanwhile, the Kurds, also trained by Americans and with American equipment defend Kirkuk from the Iraqi government.
A true mess. Hard to see this move other than an invasion powered by Iran. Let’s see what the US will be doing. https://t.co/EQdu1pDcec
— Hassan Hassan (@hxhassan) October 15, 2017
Kirkuk’s governor asked all citizens to take up arms against the Iraqi government.
#Kirkuk Governor calls on “whoever has a gun” to take to streets & defend the city against #Baghdad-backed #Hashd_al_Shaabi. pic.twitter.com/EMK0IL6dKY
— Sardar Sattar (@SardarSattar) October 15, 2017
When the Kurds had their referendum, that act provoked the Iraqi government. However, the Kurd strength already makes Iran and Iraq leadership nervous.
So the Iraqi government advances and the Peshmerga are smacking their noses for the time being:
Said to be one of #Hashd_al_Shaabi humvees destroyed by #Peshmerga artillery units as they intended to advance. pic.twitter.com/XCurvJOBfS
— Sardar Sattar (@SardarSattar) October 16, 2017
As of this writing, American pilots are preventing the Iraqi government from flying over Kirkuk.
#Coalition preventing #Iraqi fighter jets from flying over #Kirkuk, other disputed areas.
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) October 16, 2017
Looks like Turkmen are involved, too:
Clashes reported in Tuz Khurmatu between Kurds & Turkmen. Iraqi planes are heard over #Kirkuk.
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) October 16, 2017
David Petreaus warned of this:
FLASHBACK: David Petraeus warned us about this. #Kirkuk https://t.co/kq5KLTTLjC
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) October 16, 2017
Updates as they come. For now, America is going to have take sides. You can thank Obama for pulling forces out of Iraq. Now we have this FUBAR situation. First, it was #ISIS and now, it’s Iran militias running the Iraqi army.
