Kurdish fighters ordered to leave Kirkuk: Kurd commander

KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) Apr 11, 2003
Kurdish fighters have been ordered to leave the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, captured with the support of US forces, a commander of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) told AFP early Friday.

"The order has been given. We are waiting now for the US forces to arrive. The armed peshmergas should leave the city today or tomorrow," said General "Mam" Rostam.

There were 10,000 peshmergas, or Kurdish irregular forces, in the oil-rich and historically Kurdish city, which they took without a fight Thursday following what they said was a popular uprising following the departure of troops loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

However, Rostam said a small number of the fighters would stay in the city to help the US forces secure it.

Turkey has repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily in northern Iraq if Kurdish forces seized Kirkuk or Mosul, which control some of Iraq's largest oilfields.

SPACE.WIRE