Iraq govt in major offensive on Kurdish-held Kirkuk

New Zealand journalist Campbell MacDiarmid is in Kirkuk where Iraqi forces have reportedly launched a major offensive on the Kurdish held city. Kurds, backed by the United States have been a key force in driving Islamic State out of the area but are now pushing for independence for a Kurdistan state. That's prompted tough rhetoric from the Governments of Iraq and Turkey but yesterday's fighting marks an escalation of the crisis. Kirkuk lies outside Kurdistan and is home to about a million Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians.