Maliki removes Zebari as tensions with Kurds rise

On Friday, the Iraqi premier appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani as a replacement for Zebari.
 
The development came after Zebari, along with other Kurdish ministers, boycotted government meetings over the premier’s remarks.
 
On Wednesday, Maliki said the Kurdistan region had become a safe haven for the Takfiri terrorists.
 
In response, Kurdish members of the Iraqi government decided to suspend their participation in the cabinet.
 
Also on Friday, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces captured the key oilfields of Bai Hassan and Kirkuk, a move Baghdad condemned strongly.
 
    Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said the semi-autonomous region’s measure is "a violation to the constitution," and poses "a threat to national unity."
 
The spokesman said the Kurdish forces also expelled local workers.
 
Baghdad says it has the sole right to export the country’ crude, but the Kurds say they are entitled to market the resources of their own region.
 
The crisis in Iraq escalated after the ISIL terrorists took control of Mosul, in a lightning advance on June 10, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad.
 
An estimated 1.2 million people have been displaced in Iraq so far this year, according to the United Nations.