Iraqi forces reestablish security in Kirkuk after pushing out Kurds
Baghdad (KNA) - Thousands of civilians have returned to the Iraqi city of Kirkuk after fleeing as government forces pushed Kurdish militants out of the oil-rich city and established security.
Residents headed back along a main highway to the city's east on Tuesday with their children and belongings packed in their cars. Police called on the residents, who had fled in their thousands for fear of a potential armed confrontation, to return, giving assurances that the situation is stable.The city is now under a night-time curfew.In a televised address, Iraqi President Fuad Masum said troops had no choice but to take over the administration of Kirkuk after Kurdish authorities held a referendum for independence last month.Masum, himself a Kurd, said the independence vote "provoked dangerous disputes" between Baghdad and Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region.Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi also said the Kurdish referendum "is finished and has become a thing of the past."Addressing a news conference in Baghdad, Abadi called for dialog with Kurdish authorities to resolve the dispute "under the Constitution."
Source: Press TV