Alwaght- Iraqi forces have managed to completely liberate the oil-rich province of Kirkuk from Kurdish militias, Peshmerga, on Saturday after claiming control of Altun Kupri town.
Iraqi Army backed by Popular mobilization Forces (PMF) launched an operation at 7:30 a.m. to retake Altun Kupri, located about 40km northwest of Kirkuk on the Erbil-Kirkuk road.
In the wake of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) provocative independence referendum on 25 September, Iraq's central government launched a multi-fronted operation to recapture from Peshmerga disputed areas where the Kurdish militias have occupied, using power vacuum created by ISIS terrorist group's incursion in 2014.
Liberating Altun Kupri, army and PMF have totally pushed back Peshmerga militias into the officially recognized KRG borders.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's, however, ordered the army not to enter Erbil's city limits, KRG capital, saying they will protect civilians and their property, echoing Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who called on Friday for the state to protect Kurds in northern Iraq.
The Grand Ayatollah's call was issued at the Friday prayer in the holy city of Kerbala by one of his representatives.
