Iraq Kurdistan region president Barzani to urge Kurds to avoid civil war - Rudaw TV

Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani casts his vote during Kurds independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari/Files

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, plans to make a statement on Tuesday urging the Kurdish factions to avoid civil war, Erbil-based Rudaw TV said.

The statement would be Barzani's first since the takover of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk by Iraqi government forces on Monday.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by John Stonestreet)