(reuters) -- Exports from oilfields in Kirkuk have been on hold since Iraqi forces took back control of the fields from the Kurds last month.

On October 17, Iraqi forces took control of the Bai Hasan and Avana oil fields northwest of Kirkuk, after Kurdish Peshmerga fighters pulled out from the region, security sources said.

On Nov. 2, the oil ministry requested that the Kurdish authorities allow Baghdad to use their pipeline to export Kirkuk crude but received no response, Asim Jihad told Reuters.

(Photo: reuters)