Breaking News:

Breaking News:

At the Sunday emergency meeting between Kurdistan PUK and PDK leadership in Dukan, they wrote a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi stating that Peshmerga forces will not withdraw from Kirkuk. The letter was delivered to Fuad Masum, the Kurdish president of Iraq. Before Fuad Masum would engage in any negotiations, he insisted on carrying the letter back to Prime Minister Abadi.

General Qassim Sulaimani, commander of Iraqi Quds Forces, met Sunday evening with commanders of Hashd Al Sha'abi. Afterwards, the Iranian backed, Hashd Al Sha'abi withdrew a few kilometers from their positions on the south and southwest of Kirkuk. At 11:45 PM Iraqi forces from three different units started moving to Kirkuk. The Iraqi police, trained and armed by the United States, moved to the K1 military base. The Iraqi anti-terror forces are going into the center of Kirkuk. Iraqi fast reaction special forces are moving to the Kirkuk oil field.

The Kurdish representatives stated that Baghdad has changed its tactic by withdrawing Iranian-backed Hashd Al Sha'abi which are unacceptable to the U.S. and replacing them with Iraqi forces. This plan originated with Qassim Sulaimani, the Iranian Quds commander.

This new development comes three days after President Trump announced his new strategy on Iran. Trump announced sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and has repeatedly stated IRGC is the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world. Iran's response is a challenge to the U.S. and its ally's by sending Iranian-backed Iraqi forces to have a show-down with the Kurds. The stand-off remains a dangerous situation which demands continuing U.S. mediation between Erbil and Baghdad.

After the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rejected the U.S. pressure to postpone the Kurdistan referendum for independence, the U.S. was displeased. However, it is not in the U.S. interest to stand by and allow Iraqi forces to attack Peshmerga forces which would lead to a new war. Peshmerga and Kurdish fighters remain the most important fighters against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.