Kurdish peshmerga forces have "taken" Kirkuk.
Not sure yet what that means. There is likely to be some ongoing resistance, as Kirkuk has been subject to "Arabization" under Saddam's regime: Kurds driven out, property ownership documents destroyed, property given to Arab settlers. There will be disputes, possibly bloody ones, about who now owns what.
And the Turks will be nervous. They've been supporting the Turcoman minority in the region. They wanted the Kurds to stay out of Kirkuk and Mosul.
Sorting out this mess will not be easy, but at least the Kurds can begin to reclaim their city.
But will they be allowed to keep it?
Not sure yet what that means. There is likely to be some ongoing resistance, as Kirkuk has been subject to "Arabization" under Saddam's regime: Kurds driven out, property ownership documents destroyed, property given to Arab settlers. There will be disputes, possibly bloody ones, about who now owns what.
And the Turks will be nervous. They've been supporting the Turcoman minority in the region. They wanted the Kurds to stay out of Kirkuk and Mosul.
Sorting out this mess will not be easy, but at least the Kurds can begin to reclaim their city.
But will they be allowed to keep it?
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