"The situation is under control. Overnight was much calmer," than the previous one when the city descended into chaos and looting, Rostam said.

He added that US forces in the major oil city were "more than sufficient" to assure its security, although there were few signs of their presence.

Kirkuk was seized by Kurdish fighters backed by US special forces almost unopposed on Thursday. Hundreds of Kurdish policemen later arrived to try to restore order when the situation began spinning out of control.

SPACE.WIRE