Explosions and fighting can be heard in the background as Iraq forces launched a “major operation” in the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk on Sunday.
Locals gathered in centre of the city after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered his forces to advance on the city shortly after midnight.
Tensions between the two sides have been brewing since Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly voted for secession in a September 25 referendum that Baghdad rejected as illegal.