MESOP : SHIA TAKE OVER NEAR KIRKUK – Hashid forces mass for offensive south of Kirkuk
By KAMARAN AL-NAJAR, MOHAMMED HUSSEIN, PATRICK OSGOOD AND STAFF of Iraq Oil Report
January 30th, 2016 – State-backed Shia militia forces are massing in their thousands south of Kirkuk for their first major offensive against the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in three months, since securing the Baiji refinery and city from militants.The planned assault will target Bashir, a predominantly Shia Turkomen town 18 kilometers south of Kirkuk city, the furthest east the IS militants hold territory.If successful, Kirkuk city and its oil fields will have a reprieve from occasional attacks: www.mesop.de