Iraqi forces complete Kirkuk province takeover after clashes with Kurds
Altun Kupri
The district of Altun Kupri  or Perde in Kurdish  lies on the road between the city of Kirkuk - which fell to Iraqi forces on Monday - and Erbil  capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq that voted in a referendum last month to secede from Iraq against Baghdad’s wishes.
A force made up of U.S-trained Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service units  Federal Police and Iranian-backed fighters known as Popular Mobilisation began their advance on Altun Kupri at 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT)  said an Iraqi military spokesman.
The fighting at  Altun Kupri  marked only the second instance of significant violent resistance by the Kurds in Kirkuk province. Dozens were killed or wounded in the previous clash on Monday  the first night of the government advance.
The U.S. State Department said it was concerned by reports of violent clashes around  Altun Kupri .
Altun Kupri is the last town in Kirkuk province on the road to Erbil  lying just outside the border of the autonomous region established after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraqi forces are seeking to reestablish Baghdad’s authority over territory which the Kurdish forces occupied outside the official boundaries of their autonomous region  mostly seized since 2014 in the course of the war on Islamic State militants.
Vehicles of Kurdish Peshmarga Forces are seen near Altun Kupri between Kirkuk and Erbil  Iraq October 20  2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
“Today  Popular Mobilisation attacked us with American weaponry. What is this agreement between the Americans and the Iranians?” said  Harem Shukur  a Peshmerga fighter outside Altun Kupri . “The Americans sold us to Iran ”  he  added  echoing widespread bitterness among Kurds who think the United States did not honor friendly ties built over several decades.
The district of Altun Kupri  or Perde in Kurdish  lies on the road between the city of Kirkuk - which fell to Iraqi forces on Monday - and Erbil  capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq that voted in a referendum last month to secede from Iraq against Baghdad’s wishes.
A force made up of U.S-trained Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service units  Federal Police and Iranian-backed fighters known as Popular Mobilisation began their advance on [TGT] at 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT)  said an Iraqi military spokesman.
The fighting at  [TGT]  marked only the second instance of significant violent resistance by the Kurds in Kirkuk province. Dozens were killed or wounded in the previous clash on Monday  the first night of the government advance.
The U.S. State Department said it was concerned by reports of violent clashes around  Altun Kupri .
[TGT] is the last town in Kirkuk province on the road to Erbil  lying just outside the border of the autonomous region established after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraqi forces are seeking to reestablish Baghdad’s authority over territory which the Kurdish forces occupied outside the official boundaries of their autonomous region  mostly seized since 2014 in the course of the war on Islamic State militants.
Vehicles of Kurdish Peshmarga Forces are seen near Altun Kupri between Kirkuk and Erbil  Iraq October 20  2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
“Today  Popular Mobilisation attacked us with American weaponry. What is this agreement between the Americans and the Iranians?” said  [TGT] . “The Americans sold us to Iran ”  [TGT]  added  echoing widespread bitterness among Kurds who think the United States did not honor friendly ties built over several decades.