Video: Kirkuk residents discuss Kurdish takeover of the city

Kirkuk remains under the control of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, after they successfully defended the city against an assault by Sunni militant groups.

Kurds have for centuries coveted the oil-rich area - and Iraqi Kurds have long aspired to have the city as their capital.

But the city’s diverse ethnic group, including Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, have had mix feelings towards the Kurdish military group’s interventions.

Some have welcomed the well-trained, secular soldiers as a strong guard against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

Others worry that Iraqi Kurdistan will attempt to annex the region and marginalise the other ethnic groups.

"We are afraid for the future of Kirkuk, as after 10 years of change, we have returned to zero," said Mohammed Hassan al-Obaidi, a 55-year-old dressed in a traditional Arab robe, speaking to AFP.

Timur Attila, a Turkmen resident of Kirkuk, also expressed concern.

"The Turkmen culture of Kirkuk is in great danger after the Peshmerga tightened their control of the city and the areas outside it," Attila said to AFP.

Dominique Soguel travelled to Kirkuk to find out more about how the current crisis was affecting residents: