Kurdish regions 'may explode' in violence

BAQUBA, Iraq, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The presence of Iraqi national forces along the eastern border of Iraq is causing tensions with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, officials said.

Iraqi security forces have been deployed to the Kurdish areas in Iraq to ease tensions sparked by the ongoing row over the status of Kirkuk. Iraqi lawmakers are wrangling over whether to consider Kirkuk a Kurdish city or part of greater Iraq.

Anwar Hussein, the mayor of the Jalawla district of Khanaqin, told Voices of Iraq the tensions between rival forces threatened the security of the region.

"The situation between the two sides may explode at any minute," he said.

Hussein said the deployment of the Sunni paramilitary force, Sons of Iraq, was also a source of tension for the Peshmerga.

His sentiments come as U.S. military officials announced the deployment of 500 additional members of the Sons of Iraq to the northern Kurdish areas to work alongside Iraqi military forces.

Tribal elders affiliated with the Sons of Iraq warned of dire consequences for the Kurds should they attempt to annex Kirkuk.

A spate of suicide bombings hit the region in recent weeks, and in late July gunmen opened fire on the offices of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, which opposes Kurdish dominance in the region.