By Hussein al-Amir

BAGHDAD 

Traffic between the Iraqi cities of Kirkuk, where fierce fighting is being reported, and Erbil, administrative capital of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), has ground to a halt, a local police source said Friday.

“All movement along the Erbil-Kirkuk highway has stopped due to ongoing fighting [in Kirkuk] between Iraqi government forces and [pro-KRG] Peshmerga fighters,” Kirkuk Police Captain Hamed al-Obeidi told Anadolu Agency.

On Friday morning, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced that government forces had assumed control over Kirkuk’s northern Altunkopru sub-district following clashes with Peshmerga forces.

“Government forces have taken Altunkopru, along with the road linking it to Erbil,” al-Obeidi said.

A sub-district of Kirkuk province, Altunkopru is located roughly 40 kilometers south of Erbil.

According to al-Obaidi, Peshmerga forces withdrew from their positions in the area after the road to Erbil came under “heavy fire” by government forces.

Earlier this week, Iraqi troops seized control of all areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil, including Kirkuk.

Peshmerga forces took control of these areas shortly after the Daesh terrorist group overran vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in mid-2014.