Iraqi Forces Clash With Kurdish Fighters Near Kirkuk

Iraqi forces clashed with fighters from the Kurdish semiautonomous region in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk early Monday, Iraqi and Kurdish officials said, in a standoff over Kurdish independence that threatens to unravel a multinational coalition battling Islamic State.

Before dawn, units from Iraq’s Shiite-majority Popular Mobilization Forces as well as elite Iraqi military units moved toward the city of Kirkuk on the orders of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Kurdish Peshmerga troops reacted to the advances, provoking clashes before sunrise.

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