Kurdish Peshmerga withdraw from Tuz Khumatu easing tensions

Maj. Gen. Sheikh Saaid, commander of the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga’s 5^th Brigade, announced Tuesday that his forces had withdrawn from the central Iraqi town of Tuz Khumatu to avoid a clash with pro-Iranian Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units of the Iraqi army. That is one of the forces building up around Iraqi Kurdistan since its independence referendum last month. The move eased military tension with another opponent. Turkish Deputy PM Beikir Bozdaq said, “Talk of a Turkish invasion is mere speculation. Turkey would only use its forces within reason.” Ankara claims the role of protector of Tuz Khumatu’s Turkmen community..