By John Lee.
The Iraqi parliament has reportedly banned Erbil-based Kar Group from operating oil fields in Kirkuk.
According to Rudaw, it assigned the state-owned North Oil Company (NOC) to take over oil production in the province and export it through Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO).
Reuters reports that Kar Group had been operating some of the Kirkuk oilfields since Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of the city in 2014, following the retreat of the Iraqi army in the face of so-called Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh).
It is said to have failed to reach agreement with Baghdad after Iraqi forces re-took the area.
The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) claims that the Khurmala field, part of the Kirkuk oilfields, is located inside its boundaries.
(Sources: Rudaw, Reuters)