Balance of Power: After Islamic State, Are Iraqi Guns Being Turned on Each Other?
Balance of Power: After Islamic State, Are Iraqi Guns Being Turned on Each Other?
(Bloomberg) -- Three weeks after Iraq’s Kurds voted overwhelmingly for independence, Baghdad moved to regain control of the oil that helped propel Kurdish dreams of statehood.
Iraqi forces took over oil fields and a military base near the city of Kirkuk that lie outside the Kurds’ semi-autonomous region but have been controlled by them since 2014. The fighting sent oil prices higher.
Prime Minister Haider Abadi has vowed to seek a negotiated way forward with the Kurds — but also to prevent a fracturing of the country. While it’s unclear how he’ll square the two, mounting international concern over Kirkuk could force an opening for emergency talks. Sustained conflict might drag in Turkey and Iran.
Kurdish fighters entered Kirkuk as Iraq’s army retreated before Islamic State offensives. Now, the collapse of the extremist group’s rule — as in Syria — is changing the calculus.
The jihadists were defeated in Iraq due to the collective efforts of forces loyal to both Baghdad and the Kurdistan capital, Erbil, with outside help. There’s a risk the guns will be turned on each other.
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--With assistance from Kathleen Hunter
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Caroline Alexander at calexander1@bloomberg.net, Karl Maier