Mahmoud Sankawi with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party said the Iraqi army will leave Khanaqin in the north of Diyala province and will not resume operations in the area without the consent of local authorities, Voices of Iraq said.

Iraqi forces would deploy to the nearby city of Jalawlah while the Kurdish fighters known as the Peshmerga will assume responsibility over Khanaqin.

Officials in the predominately Kurdish section of Diyala protested the presence of Iraqi forces in the area, saying the region was secure. U.S. and Iraqi forces had entered Diyala as part of Operation Promise of Good, a campaign targeting Shiite and al-Qaida militants.

"Iraqi army forces withdrew last night from the district and settled in an area between the districts of As Sadiyah and Jalawlah," Sankawi said.

Kurdish officials maintain the right to patrol Kurdish areas of Iraq, though the central government in Baghdad said the Kurdistan Regional Government had operated beyond its area of authority in parts of Diyala province.

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