Ceasefire reached between Erbil, Baghdad

The US-led coalition confirmed a ceasefire between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces on Friday.

The ceasefire covers all fronts, a coalition spokesman told Reuters. An official in the Kurdistan Regional Government said diplomatic efforts to start talks between the sides were underway.

The truce puts and end to violence that came weeks after areas under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government, including Kirkuk, voted overwhelmingly to secede from Iraq in a referendum that incensed the central government alongside neighbours Iran and Turkey, which are also home to significant Kurdish minorities. It is the latest step in a series of escalations that have included both economic and military threats by Baghdad, Tehran and Ankara against the administration in Erbil.

Both the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been the recipients of Western aid and training as part of the war against Islamic State, which threatened Kirkuk in 2014, precipitating its takeover by the Kurds.