Hours after Iraqi takeover BP started operating Kirkuk oil
As soon as the city of Kirkuk fell to the Iraqi government after Peshmerga withdrew and pulled out its forces in mid-October, the UK government asked British Petroleum (BP) to begin work at Kirkuk oilfields which are currently under Baghdad’s control.
BP had tried to operate in Kikuk in 2003, but stopped after the Kurdish government said that operations there must be done in coordination with Erbil given the nature of the legal status territories.
Lord Rennard, member of the British House of Lords believes the BP must consider the fact that Kirkuk is a disputed territory between Erbil and Baghdad. He also criticized his government for turning its back on Kurds.
A number of oilfields, which Erbil spent large amounts of money on, fell to Baghdad after the Iraqi army and Iran-backed militias launched an incursion into Kirkuk, leading to Peshmerga withdrawal from the city.