Oil-rich Kirkuk a flash point ahead of referendum in Iraq

Being one of the oil-rich cities of Iraq, there is no surprise Kirkuk draws special interest and is sought after by both Iraqis and Kurds alike.

With its four oilfields, Kirkuk region holds 11 percent of Iraq’s oil reserves and is an important source of income for Kurdistan Regional Government and the country.

With a multi-ethnic and religious population of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians, Kirkuk is also seen as a disputed area between the KRG in Erbil and the central government in Baghdad.

Kirkuk’s largest oil field has three main areas - Baba Gurgur, Havana and Khormla with an estimated 8 billion barrels of oil reserves.

There’s also oil and gas in the smaller fields of Bihasan, Jambur and Khabaz.

TRT World’s Iolo Ap Dafydd reports.

Oil exports

The Kurdish Regional Government is exporting 260,000 barrels of oil per day, mostly through a pipeline to Turkey, while Iraq’s central government exports 160,000 barrels per day.

The city has assumed even greater significance in the backdrop of a referendum which is expected to be held in northern Iraq under the auspices of the KRG on Monday.

Stocking up

As the KRG’s controversial referendum looms ahead, many are worried about the implication of the vote in their own Kurdish populations.

Kirkuk is not one of the three provinces that have been part of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq since 2003.

It is in an area disputed between Baghdad and the Kurds who claim it is theirs historically since Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein chased them out and replaced them with Arabs.

Saturday's rush by Kirkuk residents to stock up on supplies came as the body responsible for organising the referendum said it would indeed go ahead on Monday.