KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish Peshmerga forces have declared a three-day unilateral ceasefire south of Kirkuk after a demand by Arab tribal chiefs in the area.
Peshmerga military officials in the town of Daquq told Rudaw that Arab tribes had asked for the ceasefire – that started Saturday evening -- to give them a chance to try and persuade Islamic State (IS/ISIS) militants to leave the area.
The tribes fear that a resumption of fighting between the Peshmerga and IS would cut off the Kirkuk-Tuz Khurmatu highway and affect many ethnically-mixed villages that lie in the frontlines.
Meanwhile, Kurdish commanders said they fear that the Islamic militants might use the truce to regroup and bring in reinforcements from elsewhere.
Until now the Sunni militants, who have declared an Islamic State straddling large parts of Iraq and portions of Syria, had locked in sporadic clashes with the Peshmerga.
But the fighting has intensified over the past three days, and was expected to escalate as the Peshmerga received new advanced weapons and awaited orders to go on the offensive.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has rushed further reinforcements and artillery units from Kirkuk to the frontlines.
Kurdish troops control Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu and the major highway that connects the province to the capital, Baghdad.
