ERBIL, Iraq, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq has no intention to annex territory unilaterally, nor are its forces encroaching on any jurisdiction, officials said.
Tensions mounted in the north of Diyala province, notably in the town of Khanaqin, between Iraqi government forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga. Kurdish forces had claimed authority over certain areas of Diyala, though Iraqi government officials downplayed the significance of the row in statements last week.
The Iraqi government launched military operations in Diyala recently to target Shiite and al-Qaida militants in the area.
Fuad Hussein, chief of staff for Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, denied Peshmerga or Kurdish officials were operating in the region in an attempt to annex northern Diyala.
"It is not the policy of the Kurdistan Region to unilaterally annex any territory," he said, adding Peshmerga forces were operating alongside coalition forces to "to fight terrorism and protect the population, nothing more."
Barzani in statements last week, however, pointed out that 99 percent of the Khanaqin population had voted in favor of Kurdish parties in 2005, suggesting the area would be incorporated into Kurdistan once constitutional issues over the Kurdish territories were resolved.
