Iraq denies deployment of US troops to Kirkuk

BAGHDAD - 30 November 2017: The Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced on Thursday that US troops have not been deployed to the oil-rich province of Kirkuk or any other part of Iraq.

In a statement by Al Sumaria TV, the command refuted the claims, explaining that several media outlets quoted sources in Kurdistan region as saying that US forces have been deployed to the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk to preserve the city's security.

The statement said there had been no increase of coalition forces "neither in Kirkuk nor the rest of the Iraqi territory."

It stressed that it was Iraq’s "national responsibility" to guarantee the safety of Kirkuk.

"The international coalition’s tasks are limited to training, advising and providing logistical support," it read.