Iraqi Kurds Battle with Sunni Fighters in Northern City of Kirkuk

Iraqi Kurds have clashed with Sunni fighters over control of the northern city of Kirkuk, as thousands of internally displaced refugees head to the area to escape the swelling violence.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces fought with fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in an attempt to establish control over the northern city and its vast oil reserves, a potentially high-value economic zone that Kurdish leaders believe can heavily boost their ambitions of a sovereign state. 

Baghdad's military retreat from the north last week allowed Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government to seize control of the disputed area.

Source:  Aljazeera