“Aside from the incident on the early morning hours on the 16th of October south of Kirkuk that we assess as a miscommunication between Iraqi security forces and a Kurdish checkpoint, there have been no further reports of armed combat or conflict between the two groups,” US Army Col. Ryan Dillon told Pentagon reporters on Tuesday.
“It was supposed to be a coordinated movement,” he said, adding that the event on Monday occurred while tensions were already high.
Dillon said communication continues between the Coalition and their Iraqi and Kurdish partners, while urging all sides to “avoid escalation.”
Asked by reporters why the United States has not taken a side on the Kirkuk incident given that it has armed both the Peshmerga and the Iraqi security forces possibly under the influence or Iran, Dillon – as spokesperson for the international coalition – deferred to the US Pentagon.
“What we have seen is a peaceful handover of areas around Kirkuk, specifically the K1 airfield… we did have troops there,” said Dillon. “What happened was the counter-terrorism service showed up and it was a coordinated effort between the Iraqi security forces and Kurdish security forces. They handed over the keys – if you will – of this installation and it was the Iraqi security forces that began to take security of that area again.”
“Throughout other areas of Kirkuk, we saw the same thing,” Dillon explained. “We've seen a lot of rhetoric and things come out of social media and in traditional media that we have not seen through 'official reporting.'”
He denied seeing credible reporting of the primarily Shiite PMF or Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) involved in the Kirkuk operations.
“From our official reporting from our elements that participating and have re-established security in and around the Kirkuk area, those are Iraqi security force elements like the Counter-Terrorism Service, the Federal Police, and we do not have reports of PMF units or the types of units you had mentioned that we have received,” Dillon said in response to a question from Rudaw’s Pentagon correspondent Rebaz Ali.
An Iraqi government spokesperson told Rudaw TV on Monday that Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani is a “military advisor” to Iraq’s Shiite forces.
“Credible reports,” to which the Coalition gives credence include "Iraqi security forces, our forces, and Kurdish security officials, and other platforms,” Dillon explained.
An experienced Rudaw war correspondent, Hevidar Ahmed, reported from Kirkuk that some 10 Peshmerga were beheaded during confrontations between the Kurdish fighters and Hashd al-Shaabi late Sunday night.
Ahmed also said there were looting and burning of Kurdish homes in Tuz Khurmatu by the Hashd al-Shaabi. He reported that 150 Kurdish houses were looted and 15 burned.
Kurdish Peshmerga had controlled Kirkuk after battling ISIS until forces under the command of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi entered the city, oil and military facilities, and the airport late Sunday night and on Monday.
When asked “Who owns Kirkuk?” Dillon responded "I'll leave it up to the government of Iraq to answer that question...”
Dillon said Coalition advisers to the Iraqi forces and Peshmerga transitioned west to Al-Qaim and Rawa to assist in clearing the final 3 percent of Iraq still under ISIS control after the Hawija offensive ended. He added that forward bases in the Kirkuk area were either “closed or consolidated.”
Tuesday was the third anniversary of the US military's Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), which began after ISIS militants threatened to overrun all of Iraq. More than 70 international partners are now members of the US-led coalition.
The group has trained 119,000 Iraqi security forces including the Iraqi army, counter-terrorism, federal police, border guard and tribal forces, Dillon said, explaining that includes 44,000 Iraqi army units and just shy of 23,000 Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
Dillon said he “did not know” if US-supplied weapons were used in the Kirkuk events. The Coalition has supplied both sides over the past three years in the war against ISIS. Both sides have also benefited from the Iraqi Train and Equip Fund, and on Monday US Senator John McCain expressed concern over the “misuse” of US weapons by Iranian-backed forces.
