KRG forces guard the Khurmala Dome oil facilities on Oct. 18, 2017. Kurdistan flags are still flying above the main entrance gate of the Khurmala Dome oil facility southwest of Erbil, while Kurdish forces are digging new trenches on the surrounding hilltops. In the face of a federal Iraqi military operation to reclaim control of Kirkuk province and other disputed territories, Kurdish forces have retreated from several oil-rich areas they controlled just a few days ago. Khurmala might be next.