Iraq: Kurdish fighters on alert as Kurdistan says Iraqi troops preparing assault on Kirkuk

Kurdish forces are said to be on high alert amid reports that the Iraq military have deployed large amounts of military hardware near Kirkuk, Friday. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has reportedly said that Iraqi government troops are preparing an attack on Kurdish forces in the oil-rich region. The Iraqi government meanwhile says its troops are instead being prepared for an assault on self-proclaimed Islamic State forces near the Syria border.
Footage shows Iraqi government forces and checkpoints of the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters near the village of Maryam Bek, Friday. Kurdish fighters have reportedly been reinforced in the Kirkuk Governorate.
Iraq forces have increased their presence in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, following last month's Kurdish independence referendum that was held in the face of opposition from Baghdad.