The 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, also known as the Kirkuk crisis, was a conflict in which the Iraqi government retook disputed territories in Iraq which had been held by the Peshmerga since ISIL's Northern Iraq offensive in 2014. The conflict began on 15 October 2017 after tensions arising from the Kurdistan Region independence referendum of 25 September. The tension between the federal Iraqi government and Kurdistan Region escalated into conflict when the Peshmerga ignored repeated warnings to return Kirkuk to Iraqi government forces. Part of the conflict was the Battle of Kirkuk, when Iraqi forces routed Peshmerga forces from the city in a surprise dawn-offensive, marking the beginning of clashes. The Iraqi forces ultimately defeated the Kurds, recaptured large swaths of territory previously controlled by them, displaced them and annulled the referendum by force.
The conflict began in response to a referendum vote on independence held by the Kurdistan Regional Government to break away from Iraq despite the Federal Court deeming the vote unconstitutional. The designated break away areas included territories disputed between the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The disputed territories had been under the control of government forces prior to ISIL's Northern Iraq offensive during which they switched into the hands of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The central government demanded the return of the areas to central administration following the end of the war, however this was rejected by the Kurdistan Regional Government. Chief among these areas were the oil rich regions of Kirkuk and Sinjar as well as the areas of Tuz Khurmatu, Makhmur and Jalawla. The vote was heavily opposed by non-Kurdish residents of the territories who had been accusing the Kurdistan Regional Government for years of discriminatory treatment and forced Kurdification of their areas including demolition of entire settlements, gerry-mandering and vote-rigging.
As a result of the conflict, Kurdistan Region lost 40% of the land mass it had administered prior to the conflict and was forced to cancel the results of the referendum.
Background
The President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, facilitated the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum in September 2017. This led the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi to demand that the referendum result be cancelled and called on the KRG to initiate dialogue in the framework of the constitution. The Kurdistan Regional Government rejected these offers despite intense pressure from neighbouring countries and the international community, culminating in an air embargo on the region.
The announcement of the referendum was taken negatively within the halls of the Iraqi government. Within the region it was the product of long held dreams of Kurdish independence beginning in the twentieth century as well as local politics within the region. The ruling KDP party, looking to ward off threat to its authority from rival PUK and Gorran parties saw the election as a way to consolidate its power and place its rivals in a difficult position in the backdrop of the upcoming elections. This tense background created disharmony in the rank of the Kurdish leadership which contributed to the defeat of Peshmerga forces in the conflict.
The initial assault came as a surprise given the repeated assurances by the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider Al Abadi, that there would be no offensive against the region despite the build of Iraqi troops on its borders. This however, turned out to be false. The assault came in the early hours of 16 October 2017 when the central government forces launched a lightning offensive on the Peshmerga forces on the borders of the city and inside the K9 air base. However, as the battle went on, Kurdish defences began to collapse as the offensive gathered momentum.
Disorganised Peshmerga lines to the south of the city crumbled as they were engaged by Iraqi tanks and a full retreat ensued. By mid-day the KRG appointed mayor of Kirkuk Najmiddin Karim had fled the city and Iraqi counter terrorism forces were seen patrolling the streets having secured the office of the mayoralty and K9 air base. Chaos erupted among the ranks of the Peshmerga as news of the defeat sent shock waves through the region, mutual allegations of betrayal were made among leaders of the PUK and KDP. After the victory in Kirkuk, Iraqi central government forces launched frontal assaults, pincer movements and flanking manoeuvres advancing east towards Tuz Khurmatu and Jalawla and north towards Makhmur and the Mosul dam.
By the end of the conflict, the central government had captured a fifth of the land mass previously administered by the region and was in full control of the disputed territories. The offensive was considered a disastrous defeat in the Kurdish region and sent the price of oil internationally into a sharp spike, however these shortly stabilised as a result of the quick victory of the Iraqi forces.
Iraqi advances and clashes
The Kurdish Peshmerga ignored a deadline given by the Iraqi Government to withdraw from disputed areas by 15 October 2017. This led to Iraqi central government forces retaking Kirkuk and its province the next day. Within 15 hours, the city of Kirkuk and the nearby K-1 Air Base, along with surrounding oilfields, were retaken by Iraqi forces in a lightning offensive. This, in turn, led to the collapse of Kurdish defenses. The sudden loss of Kirkuk having been the centre of dispute between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government came as a shock in the region, disorganising Kurdish defences and throwing Kurdish leadership into disharmony. Mutual accusations of betrayal were made amids international calls for restraint and an end to the fighting.
On 17 October 2017, The Iraqi advance continued, with further gains including Khanaqin near the Iranian border, as well as Jalawla, Bashiqa, and Sinjar towards Syria.
A statement from the Iraqi military on 18 October 2017, confirmed that the Mosul dam and other previously Kurdish-held territories in Nineveh province had been taken from the Peshmerga. Ali Akbar Khafaji, an Iraqi police officer, claimed eight PMU fighters and one Peshmerga fighter were killed in clashes that broke out after the PMU failed to heed the Peshmerga's warnings to not advance on the Mosul dam.
By 19 October 2017, according to Erbil's governor, 100,000 ethnic Kurds had fled the city of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu following the victory by Iraqi forces, with 18,000 Kurds taking shelter in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah. The next day, Hemin Hawrami, a senior assistant to KRG President Masoud Barzani, said in a post on Twitter that 57,000 families from Kirkuk were in need of "immediate assistance" after arriving in various parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and taking shelter in unfinished housing units, having fled from "violence, looting and crimes" perpetrated by the Iranian-trained and largely Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces. Kirkuk police called on the media not to publish rumors. The United Nations released a statement saying it was concerned about reports of violence and the forced displacement of Kurdish civilians, and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. It was further reported that UN relief offices received reports that in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 150 houses were burned and 11 houses were blown up. The UN noted PM Haider al-Abadi's acknowledgement of incidents in Tuz Khurmatu, caused by what he described as extremist elements from both sides and his decision to send the Iraqi army to restore order in Tuz Khurmatu, as well as the requests of the political and security leaderships of the country for federal and local security forces to act in full respect for law and order and protect civilians and political leaders. The PM accused social media instigators of posting fake videos of the alleged violations. The Niqash website confirmed this increase of false news, as well as hundreds of fake videos & pictures. Leaders on both sides say this is leading to a dangerous escalation of tensions in northern Iraq.
On 19 October 2017, one person was killed and three wounded in a protest against Iraqi forces in Khanaqin. A group of about 150 to 200 unarmed youth carrying Kurdistan flags were protesting, demanding that Iraqi forces leave the city, Col. Azad Isa, Khanaqin's police chief, told Rudaw Kurdish Network. The demonstration was small but energetic, ending with some dancing before they all left. Many said they just wanted the local police to have a presence in town and were not concerned with the larger political struggle over Kurdish independence.
In the early hours of 20 October 2017, a battle took place in the predominantly Turkmen town of Altun Kupri as Iraqi forces moved towards it. Iraq's Joint Operations Command stated that Peshmerga had used MILAN missiles in the battle, which led to Iraqi criticism as the missiles were given by Germany to the Peshmerga in order to be used against IS. The Peshmerga denied they had used the missiles. Earlier, Germany had said it would temporarily stop training Kurdish Peshmerga forces. However, training began again after a week's interruption. Kurdish sources also claimed that 150 PMU fighters were killed or wounded. This was considered to be the first significant battle in which the Peshmerga put up a heavy resistance, (due to the fact that Kurdistan Region considers Altun Kupri as part of Erbil Governorate) whereas in other disputed areas they withdrew after the arrival of Iraqi forces. The Iraqi forces pushed Peshmerga out and captured Altun Kupri by 10 a.m. the same day.
By the end of 20 October, Iraqi forces had seized complete control of Kirkuk province. Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) meanwhile denied that Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) fighters were present among the troops that advanced on Altun Kupri, claiming the troops were Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces. It added that two soldiers were killed and five others wounded in the clashes that erupted when they captured the town.
At the time Kurds expressed concern of an imminent incursion into Erbil, but the then-prime minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi reiterated that his forces would stop at what he called the "2003 line". Ultimately, the conflict ended after the Iraqi forces were not ordered to advance further into additional Kurdish-held territory, but had they done it, the Kurds would not have been able to withstand Iraqi firepower.
Subsequent events
On 24 October 2017, Peshmerga KDP forces were told that the checkpoint in Makhmur would be handed over as per agreements between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Regional government. However, upon arrival at the checkpoint, the Peshmerga surrounded the Iraqi troops. Twenty Iraqi soldiers were arrested, two killed, and eight more were wounded by the Peshmerga. The PUK accused the Peshmerga KDP of mistreating those who had been arrested by them, and all Iraqi soldiers were released after the Peshmerga command intervened against a local Peshmerga garrison acting against orders.
On 25 October 2017, Iraqi forces seized the Rabia border crossing with Syria after the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish forces. On the same day, the KRG made a statement offering to freeze the results of the referendum as part of an offer to defuse the crisis. The statement also called for a ceasefire and a halt to all military operations in the northern region. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected the proposal, adding that the Iraqi central government "will accept only the canceling of the referendum and following the constitution."
On 26 October 2017 at 06:00 hrs, Iraqi federal police and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) began a four-pronged assault on Peshmerga positions in Zummar; from Bardiya and Hamad Agha towards Ain Ouais, from Mosharaf towards Sufaya, and from Rabia towards Mahmoudiya. The Kurdistan Security Council claimed that Peshmerga had destroyed three tanks, five US-supplied Humvees and one Badger and repelled the attempts of the Iraqi forces to retake Faysh Khabur. However, Iraqi and PMU forces managed to retake two villages, Jazronia & Mahmoudiya, as they attempted to advance towards the town of Faysh Khabur, near the Iraqi-Syrian-Turkish border triangle. Some reports meanwhile indicated that Masoud Barzani might announce that he would step down as president of the KRG.
On 27 October, the Kurdish Regional Government stated that Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters had agreed to stop fighting in northern Iraq, although the status of any ceasefire remained unclear. A CJTF-OIR spokesman earlier said the deal covered all fronts of conflict. However, he later denied that truce had been officially agreed. The coalition's spokesman, Col. Ryan Dillon, denied that a ceasefire had been reached, retreating from his earlier announcement of a ceasefire between both sides, tweeting, "I incorrectly said in an interview with (Kurdish TV) Rudaw English that there was a cease-fire between Iraqi and Kurdish forces." Iraqi PM al-Abadi later ordered a 24-hour truce to allow a peaceful deployment of Iraqi troops at border crossings with the Kurdistan region.
On 31 October, the Iraqi army took control of the Faysh Khabur border crossing.
On 29 November, after claims of ethnic cleansing and the destruction of Kurdish homes, shops and businesses in Tuz Khurmatu and claims of discrimination and oppression against the Kurdish residents of the city by the PMU, the 'Kurdistan Liberation Army' was formed composing of 200 Kurdish volunteers in Tuz Khurmatu. Clashes occurred, in which 8 PMU fighters were killed, and one Kurdish volunteer wounded. Kurdistan24 posted footage of the fighting and unverified graphic videos showed dead bodies of the Turkmen PMU stationed in Tuz Khurmatu. There had been clashes in Kirkuk between volunteers nearly every day in the previous month between Kurdish volunteers and PMU.