Iraq dismisses Kirkuk governor amid dispute with Kurds
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Iraq's parliament on Thursday voted to dismiss the Kurdish governor of the ethnically mixed Kirkuk province, in a move that could escalate tensions ahead of a planned Kurdish referendum on independence.
To the south of Baghdad, meanwhile, militants attacked a checkpoint and nearby restaurant in the southern Thi Qar province, killing at least 45 people and wounding 83, according to provincial Gov. Yahya al-Nassiri.
Iraq's Kurds plan to hold the vote on Sept. 25 in three governorates that make up their autonomous region as well as disputed areas like Kirkuk that are controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad. Late last month, Kirkuk's provincial council voted to take part in the referendum. Iraq's central government has rejected the polls as unconstitutional and illegal.
