Two oil fields have been taken over by Kurdistan’s peshmerga in the north of Iraq.
The facilities, at the Bai Hassan and Kirkuk oil fields, have come under full control of Kurdish forces, a day after Kurdish MPs withdrew from Iraq’s government.
Iraq’s oil ministry condemned the takeover of the oil refineries, adding that they expected Kurdish fighters to "support security forces in confronting terrorist groups rather than using the conditions to raid and occupy oil fields".
The Kurdish regional government is taking advantage of disarray within the Iraqi government, amidst an ISIS onslaught, to consolidate its control over its territory, and regional leader Massoud Barzani has spoken of holding a referendum to determine Kurdish independence.
Kurdistan officials discuss self-determination in Washington (06 July 2014)