Kirkuk tensions on the rise

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The US-led war in Iraq changed the face of the Middle East and shifted regional alliances. Neighbouring Turkey, wary of Baghdad’s now close relationship with Iran, has formed an unlikely alliance with Iraq’s Kurds.

But plans by the Kurdish Regional Government to build a pipeline to Turkey, allowing the Kurds to bypass Baghdad and export oil independently, is infuriating Iraq’s central government and allegedly threatening to shatter the country’s fragile stability.

Oil is money. The question is whose? Baghdad says only it has the authority to export Iraq’s oil and says deals signed by the Kurdish Regional Government with international oil majors are illegal. Not so, say the Kurds … Kirkuk is theirs, they say, and they have a right to export its oil. Along the poorly defined border of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, Kurdish troops - known as Peshmerga - have a clear order: to keep the Iraqi army out.

Rasti Ratha, Deputy Commander of Kurdish forces, said "We are not attacking anyone. We are the defence line. We will take order from our commanders but we will be ready for any scenario."

Both the Kurdish and Iraqi armies say they won’t pull back their troops. Mistrust runs deep and one wrong move from either side could trigger a conflict the presence of oil only raises the stakes.

Kirkuk has long been a flash point in Iraq. After the first Gulf War Saddam Hussein expelled hundreds of thousands of Kurds from the city. When his regime fell, many returned and for ten years the city has felt the strain of sectarian struggle. A recent spike in violence only highlights the problems local security faces now the US troops have left.

Halo Hamza, Head of Kurdish Security, said "Unfortunately, the Americans left Kirkuk too early. They could have helped the security institutions in Kirkuk with equipment and more training. But they left nothing. And politically they have not been helpful either internally in Kirkuk or with the tensions between the KRG and Baghdad."

The US fears the Kurd’s plans for a pipeline through Turkey could end up dividing Iraq. In a country struggling to unite, a decade after the war, this it not beyond the realm of possibility.