Q&A: Mohammed Zain Abedin, Hashid commander in Kirkuk
The top Hashid commander in Kirkuk discusses rising military tensions after Kurdistan's independence referendum.![](https://cdn.iraqoilreport.com/wp-content/uploads/image1-1-800x436.jpeg)
Mohammed Zain Abedin at his office in Kirkuk city on Oct. 12, 2017. (RAWAZ TAHIR/Iraq Oil Report)
KIRKUK - Paramiiltary groups organized under the government's al-Hashid al-Shabi (Popular Mobilization) program are massed outside Kirkuk following the liberation of Hawija from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militant group.
Tensions are running high after the Kurdistan Regional Government's Sept. 25 non-binding indpendence referendum. By including Kirkuk in the vote, the KRG implicitly signaled that the oil-rich territory – which is claimed by both the federal government and the Kurdistan region – was included in its secession plans.
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