Iraqi forces took control on Friday of the last district in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk still in the hands of Peshmerga following a three-hour battle, security sources said.
The district of Altun Kupri lies on the road between the city of Kirkuk - which fell to Iraqi forces on Monday - and Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq that voted in an illegal referendum last month to secede from Iraq against Baghdad's wishes.
A force made up of U.S-trained Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service units, Iranian-backed Popular Mobilisation and Federal Police began their advance on Altun Kupri at 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT), said an Iraqi military spokesman.
"Details will be communicated later," the spokesman said in a short posting on social media.
Peshmerga forces withdrew from the town of Altun Kupri, located on the Zab river, after clashing with the advancing Iraqi troops with machine guns, mortars and rocket propelled grenades, security sources said.
It was not immediately clear whether there had been any casualties in the fighting.
The Iraqi forces have advanced into Kirkuk province largely unopposed as most Peshmerga forces withdrew without a fight.
The fighting at Altun Kupri marked only the second instance of significant resistance in the Kirkuk province since Monday.
Altun Kopri marks the admnistrative limit between Kirkuk and Erbil. It belongs administratively to the Kirkuk province.
Iraqi forces are seeking to ensure Baghdad's authority over territory captured by the Peshmerga outside the official boundaries of the KRG.
The Peshmerga had moved into Kirkuk after the Iraqi army in 2014.
