By Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

The almost peaceful return of oil-rich Kirkuk to the control of the central government in Baghdad has been hailed as a step in the right direction for assertion of unity, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iraq, following the unconstitutional referendum held in the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region by one of the Kurdish factions led by Masoud Barzani on September 25.
The scenes of joy with thousands of civilians streaming into their homes in Kirkuk from which they had fled three years ago when Takfiri terrorists had stormed these areas, were evident of the national spirit prevailing over ethnic differences and factionalism in Iraq.
Kirkuk is populated by Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Christians of the Assyrian Church, and Izadis. Video clips showed happiness on the faces of all strata of society speaking to the press in their own respective languages, and assembling under the Iraq flag.
It was a commendable move by the local peshmerga militias of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to hand over the towns and military bases to the Iraqi military and withdraw peacefully in a show of national reconciliation.
According to the latest reports, not only Izadi-populated Sinjar and its surrounding areas have returned to the national fold, but also the eastern towns of Jalawla, Khanaqin and Mandali, near the Iranian borders.
Earlier on Monday, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, along with the Iraqi army, had taken over the K1 military base as well as the Kirkuk Air Base west of the city.
As a result of misunderstanding, which was fortunately soon resolved, there were some minor skirmishes on Monday, resulting in the death of 15 persons. The situation was, however, quickly brought under control as the Kurds realized that national unity is more important than turning their hometowns into bases for agents of the Zionist entity and the detested Americans.
The Tuz-Khormatu district southeast of Kirkuk which is populated mostly by Iraqi Turkmen also rejoined Iraq without a single shot being fired.
There was mixed reaction in Erbil and Sulaiymania, which means Barazani’s bid for gradual secession has not been backed by the majority of the Kurds, as was claimed.
The Iraqi Kurds are mature enough to understand the perils of balkanization and the impossibility of survival as an isolated land-locked pocket, ruled by narrow factionalist interests, against the tenets of their religion.
The Kurds love Islam and the countries to which they belong more than separatist tendencies that would bring misfortune upon them, especially since the Zionists and the Americans are waiting for an opportunity to destabilize their homeland. They don’t back the splinter armed groups in their regions that serve as agents of neo-colonialism.
In view of these positive developments, it is hoped that Barzani, who a couple of days ago held talks with Iraqi President Fouad Masoum, who himself is a Kurd firmly believing in national unity, will realize the folly of his separatist move and rejoin the national mainstream.
Post-Ba’thist and post-American Iraq is for all Iraqis, enjoying equal rights and having share in the formation of the national government in Baghdad, with all liberties guaranteed for the semi-autonomous regions.
The need of the hour is one single Iraq, under one government formed by the different religious and ethnic components of the society.