A senior commander of Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi popular forces) said that the American forces in Kirkuk do not play any role in the establishment of security in the region and have been locked up in K1 base. RNA - “The K1 base in Kirkuk in which the US forces have been deployed has turned into a large prison,” Ali al-Hosseini told the Arabic-language Baghdad al-Youm news website on Thursday.
He added that the Americans are not running any operation in Kirkuk as the region is under the full control of the Iraqi security forces, including the Army, the Federal Police and Hashd al-Shaabi.
Al-Hosseini called on the Iraqi government to evacuate the US forces from K1 and turn the base into a tourism or economic area.
According to Fars News Agency, a prominent analyst had warned in January that Washington has transferred a large number of its forces from the Iraqi Kurdistan region to Kirkuk in a bid to take control of the oil-rich region.
"The US army has transferred a large number of its forces from its base in Erbil to K1 base in Kirkuk and they have been deployed at the airbase and are making new moves inside Kirkuk and nearby areas," Mo'ayed al-Ali told the Arabic-language al-Ma'aloumeh news website.
He added that the measures are aimed at gaining control of crude resources in Kirkuk and deploying US firms in the province after the Iraqi parliament's vote to expel the US military men.
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