CAIRO (Sputnik) — The official spokesperson for the Iraqi government refuted on Wednesday the information that the army was planning to restore control over the Kirkuk province controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government.
"We deny any planning or thinking of an attack in Kirkuk," the spokesperson told Al Arabiya broadcaster.
Earlier in the day, Iraqi Kurdistan Region Security Council accused Baghdad of preparing a large-scale military operation to restore control over the oil rich disputed province, which has been under the control of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia for three years.
Following the referendum, the Iraqi parliament voted in favor of dismissal of all the Kurdish public sector employees, involved in the vote and sending troops to the disputed areas of Kurdistan, particularly to Kirkuk.
