The statement added Abdul Mahdi advised political figures in the city that the appropriate course of action was to seek the approval of a federal court before flying the flag, adding that, in ordering that the flags lowered, he was seeking to protect the constitution.

The statement said that some politicians had told him that, since Kirkuk is a disputed area, political parties have the right to fly the flag.

According to NRT the PM rejected that argument, countering that because Kirkuk was outside the constitutionally designated boundaries of the Kurdistan Region only the Iraqi flag should be flown until the matter is resolved through the constitutionally authorized process.

On Tuesday night, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) raised the Kurdistan flag on a flagpole above its headquarters alongside the Iraqi flag.

Reporter’s code: 50101