BAGHDAD, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday said the Iraqi army will not go into a war against the Iraqi people, including the people of Kurdistan, and vowed to protect Iraq's unity.
"We will not use our army against our people or fight a war against our Kurdish and other citizens," Abadi said during a meeting with the provincial authority of Anbar province and a number of its tribal leaders.
Abadi, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces, said that his government "duty is to preserve the unity of the country, apply the constitution and safeguard the citizens and national wealth."
Abadi also pledged not to go back to the sectarian and divisional discourse that was prevailed in the years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"We will not allow the return to square one and the return of the sectarian and divisional discourse," Abadi said.
Abadi's comments apparently came after the Kurdish authorities said late on Wednesday they have reports that the Iraqi government forces and allied paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades were preparing to launch an assault on the autonomous northern region.
"We're receiving dangerous messages that the Hashed Shaabi and federal police are preparing for a major attack from the southwest of Kirkuk and north of Mosul against Kurdistan region," the Security Council of Kurdistan region said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Abadi called on the Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, "not to clash with the federal forces in the disputed areas (mainly controlled by Peshmerga), as the security responsibility is the duty of the federal government."
Abadi's comments also came as tensions are running high between Baghdad government and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan after the Kurdish region held a controversial referendum on independence of Kurdistan and disputed areas in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and parts of Nineveh, Diyala and Salahudin provinces.
The referendum, held on Sept. 25, was widely opposed by many countries because they believe it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and could undermine the fight against IS group.
In addition, neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria see that such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as large populations of Kurds live in those countries.
