State TV: Iraqi forces take control of 'vast areas' in Kirkuk region

Iraqi forces took control of “vast areas” in the oil-rich region of Kirkuk without opposition from Kurdish Peshmerga, state TV said on Monday.

The announcement came after reports that Iraqi forces began moving at around midnight toward an important airbase and oilfields located west of the city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi gave orders to the security forces “to impose security in Kirkuk in cooperation with the population and the Peshmerga,” the TV said.

Read More: Kurds block Iraqi forces access to Kirkuk’s oil fields, airbase