Kurdish flag fans controversy in Iraq's Kirkuk
Raising the Kurdistan flag atop the governmental buildings in Kirkuk sparked tension in the province and in Baghdad.
![AFP_N21R2 Kirkuk provincial Governor Najim al-Din Karim (C-R) raises the Iraqi flag to fly next to the Kurdish flag over a government building in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on March 28, 2017.
Provincial councillors in disputed, oil-rich Kirkuk province voted to fly the Kurdish regional flag over government buildings, a move likely to increase tensions with Baghdad. Only the 25 Kurdish provincial councillors backed the measure, while the 16 Arab and Turkmen members did not take part in the session. / AFP PHOT](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2017/03/GettyImages-659068358.jpg/GettyImages-659068358.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=SlvtGOdq)
BAGHDAD — Controversy ensued when the flag of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was raised in Kirkuk on March 28. The local government in the province insisted on having the Kurdish flag fly alongside the Iraqi federal one, although the federal government in Baghdad disapproved of this decision.
The local government in Kirkuk province, in northern Iraq, voted on raising the KRG flag alongside the Iraqi federal one atop state institution buildings in the province. The voting session, held on March 28, was boycotted by 16 Arab and Turkmen members; only the 25 Kurdish members attended.