Iraqi court issues arrest warrant for Kurdish Vice President (Source: AFP/VNA)

 Rasul, who is also vice president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish parties, criticized his own group for not having resisted the entry of Iraqi federal forces into the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. The court considers Rasul's statements to be provocation against the Iraqi armed forces and has said Rasul will be charged under Article 226 of the Iraqi penal code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for publicly insulting Iraqi armed forces.