Kurdish Peshmerga Forces withdraw from part of Kirkuk, North Iraq

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: The Kurdish Peshmerga Forces have withdrawn from northern Iraq’s Kirkuk Province and handed their positions over to the U.S. Forces in the area, according to a Peshmerga official on Monday. “The Peshmerga Ministry in the Kurdistan Region ordered its forces, stationed in different parts of southwestern Kirkuk, to withdraw back to their bases in Kurdistan, and hand their positions over to the American Forces in the area,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency.   Tthe Kurdish official added that “there are other Peshmerga forces, stationed in northern and northeastern Kirkuk.”   “The Peshmerga Ministry has reached an agreement with the Iraqi security bodies and the American Forces to “implement a new plan to protect the said areas,” the source, who requested anonymity, stressed, giving no further details.   Kirkuk is 250 km to the northeast of Baghdad.   SKH (TS)/SR 850