Kurdish Peshmerga Minister denies his forces entered Kirkuk

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: North Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Forces Minister has said on Sunday that his forces had not entered in the city of Kirkuk, but “were mobilized on the outside borders of the city, to protect citizens, public and private properties.”   The Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) Minister, Jaafar Sheikh Mustapha, a source close to Kirkuk Province’s Media source said, had confirmed that, during a meeting with Kirkuk’s Governor, Abdul-Rahman Mustapha.   “Both sides have discussed during their meeting, attended by Members of the Province’s Diwan (office), the recent developments that followed the demonstrations that took place in Kirkuk and other Iraqi cities over the past few days,” the media source told IraqiNews.com news agency.   The Kurdish Minister, he added, “had reiterated that the Peshmerga Forces had not entered inside Kirkuk city, but were mobilized on the outside borders of the city, to protect the citizens, as well as the public and private properties, in response to coordination between the Peshmerga and the security forces in Kirkuk Province.”   Kirkuk Governor, on his part, said: “We are working as one team, to serve Kirkuk and its inhabitants, along with protecting the demonstrators, keeping away intruders to fish in the troubled waters.”   Noteworthy is that Arab and Turkomen members in Kirkuk Province’s Council had confirmed that the said forces have entered in Kirkuk borders, in response to an Iraqi government’s demand, to stand against the entrance of armed groups to Kirkuk city.   Kirkuk is 280 kms to the northeast of Baghdad.   SKH (TI)/SR 768