A senior Turkish military commander warned on Wednesday that Turkey would face “a serious security problem” if the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk came under Kurdish control after Sunday's election, a development he claimed could lead to civil war in Iraq.

In comments that underline Turkey's concern about Kurdish autonomy in Iraq after the election, General Ilker Basbug, deputy head of the armed forces, said an influx of Kurds into Kirkuk was “outside the framework of the law” and would render the result of the vote “questionable” if it resulted in the town coming under Kurdish control.