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KIRKUK,
Kurdistan-Iraq -- U.S. officials are concerned that
a growing number of Shiite militia forces are
converging on the northern, oil-rich Iraqi Kurdish
city of Kirkuk.
The militia buildup "is something that definitely
concerns us and something that we are watching very
carefully," said Col. David Gray, commander of the
101st Airborne's 1st Brigade Combat Team, based in
Kirkuk. "So far they haven't been that violent, but
does it add to the tension, putting them into this
maelstrom? Absolutely."
Observers have said should Iraq collapse into civil
war, Kirkuk would be the likely flashpoint because
of its lucrative oil supplies, the Washington Post
reported.
However, Kurdish leaders now speak openly of using
force if necessary to gain control of the city,
which they consider the historical capital of a vast
Kurdish nation also extending into Iran and Turkey.
Shiite residents of Kirkuk make up less than 5
percent of the local population, the report said.
UPI
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