Iraq's Kurds have overplayed their hand. Now both sides must talk

As Kurds flee Kirkuk again, it’s clear that only a negotiated settlement can bring stability, writes the province’s former governorate coordinator, Emma Sky

Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution set out a process for resolving the status of those territories disputed between Baghdad and Irbil (the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan). But it was never implemented.

Over the intervening years, the Kurds exerted greater control over the province. Kirkuk became a stronghold for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, which selected the governor.

When the Iraqi security forces fled in the face of Isis in 2014 it was the Kurds, with support from the US-led coalition, who fought back and pushed them out of Kirkuk.