BAGHDAD 

Iraqi military forces on Sunday were redeployed in the northern Kirkuk province, according to an army officer.

"The redeployment came shortly after the forces arrived in the area," the officer told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"The new military units will replace the anti-terrorism forces ahead of their withdrawal," he said.

In December, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi issued a decision to pull out the anti-terrorism forces from Kirkuk.

In late 2017, federal forces moved into several parts of Iraq disputed between the central government and Erbil, administrative capital of Kurdish regional government.

The deployments, which followed an illegitimate referendum on Kurdish regional independence, saw the accompanying withdrawal of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces from these areas.

Notably, federal forces deployed in these areas were recently replaced by Iraqi Special Forces, prompting speculation of the possible return of Peshmerga to these areas.

Reporting by Ali Jawad:Writing by Mahmoud Barakat