A day spent behind the former Chamchamal front line towards Kirkuk, of which more tomorrow because it’s still a work in progress and we’re going back again tomorrow to take another look.

Over dinner with a senior PUK commander, Omar Fatah, we looked at the latest maps of Iraqi government positions in the north. They show that after abandoning their front line above Chamchamal, the Iraqis have peeled back to form a tight ring of troops around Kirkuk. The city would appear to be surrounded now by a single defensive line, although its strength and motivation to fight remains unclear.

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