Mayor of Jalawlaa district, Khanaqeen suburb, on Monday said that the presence of Iraqi army forces in some areas of the suburb, according to Operation Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good), created tensions with the Peshmerga (Kurdish armed forces).

He warned that the situation "may explode at any minute."

"Iraqi army troops' presence created tensions with Peshmerga forces during the last few days," Anwar Hussein told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

"The situation between the two sides may explode at any minute," he said.

"Peshmerga forces fear that areas of Khanaqeen suburb could become isolated," he added.

"Arab tribes in Khanaqeen are working with the Iraqi forces to form Sahwa (Awakening) councils," he explained.
"Kurds believe that those councils, if they are formed, represent an attempt to ignore them," he asserted.

"Diala police command decided to form a police directorate in Jalawlaa district (30 km southwest of Khanaqeen), and recruited only Arab policemen for it," he proceeded.
"Those measures violate the law," he noted.   

Khanaqeen suburb is 155 km northeast of Baaquba, which is the capital city of Diala province, and lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

HEYET Net- VOI