The military operation for liberating the Iraqi city of Hawija is expected to be launched after the upcoming independence referendum in Kurdistan Region, senior Peshmerga Commander Kamal Kirkuki said on Monday.
Hawija is located in the southwestern areas of Kirkuk province, about 55 kilometers southwest of the city of Kirkuk.
The Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army have already liberated large swathes of Hawija's surrounding areas, but the city itself remains one of the few areas still controlled by the IS extremist group.
The Governor of Kirkuk, Najmaldin Karim, said in a recent statement that the Iraqi forces would not be able to liberate Hawija without the participation and support of the Peshmerga forces. He further added that the Kurdish forces currently share several frontlines around Hawija in the north, east and southeast.
In regards to the upcoming referendum and the future of Hawija, the governor noted that all internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the city would participate in the voting.
However the city of Hawija has been under IS-control since June 2014, when the group emerged in Iraq and declared its self-proclaimed "caliphate." Since then, it has served as a key stronghold for the extremists in the province of Kirkuk.
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