كم إستمرت معركة كركوك ؟
The battle followed the 2017 Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum when voters overwhelmingly supported (93%) "the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region" to become an independent state. The Kurdish Regional Government considered the referendum binding, while the Iraqi Government regarded it as illegal. The oil-rich and multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk was the subject of long-running dispute and is not recognised by the Iraqi Government as part of the autonomous Kurdistan Region. Before the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) invaded Kirkuk was under Iraqi control. Kirkuk was taken from ISIL by Kurdish forces. The Kurdish Peshmerga ignored a deadline given by Iraq to withdraw from the area by 15October 2017 and the operation to take the territory back under the control of the central Iraqi Government was initiated. Within 15 hours, the city of Kirkuk, surrounding oil fields and several facilities including the military airport were retaken by Iraqi forces.
15 hours