Iraqis and Kurds in armed standoff – some clashes already reported

Iraq’s government has ordered the Kurds to surrender key military positions in the disputed city of Kirkuk.
The Kurds have been given until late Saturday night to comply.
Brief clashes also erupted between Kurdish forces and Shia militia backing the Iraqi government, the BBC has reported.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday urged Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to focus on defeating the Islamic State group and not fight each other, as tensions spiked in the disputed region around Kir