MESOP NEWS FOCUS : HEATHER NAUERT HELPLESS ! – State Department: US Closely Monitoring Situation in Kirkuk

Basnews English –  13/10/2017 – 16:21 – ERBIL — The US is “closely” monitoring the situation in Kirkuk where the Arab Shi’ite militias of Hashd al-Shaabi are intending to attack the Peshmerga forces in the province, said the spokesperson of the US Department of State on Thursday.

Peshmerga did not allow Kirkuk and the surrounding areas to fall to the Islamic State (IS) after the Iraqi army abandoned the city in the wake of IS attack on Iraq and left the people to their fate in 2014.Hashd al-Shaabi and Iraqi forces have mobilized heavy forces around Kirkuk with the intention of invading the city.“We’re certainly monitoring that situation very closely. We have consistently called on the various parties to oppose violence of any sort,” said Heather Nauert, the US State Department’s Spokesperson during a press briefing on Thursday.

“We do not want to see any destabilizing activities take place and distract from the fight against ISIS,” she noted.

Baghdad has confirmed that the Iraqi forces are only focusing on targeting IS, Nauert said, adding “We take them at their word and would certainly hope that no violence would occur beyond going after ISIS.” Late on Thursday, Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) warned of an imminent military offensive by the Baghdad-backed Shi’ite militias of Hashd al-Shaab in Bashir and Taza in southern Kirkuk.According to KRSC, the Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi militias were heavily equipped with tanks, mortars, humvees, and artilleries.The growing tension between Erbil and Baghdad began following an independence referendum the Kurdistan Region held last month, in which over 92% voted for secession from Iraq. www.mesop.de