The peshmerga first exploited the security vacuum in northern Iraq in mid-June by deploying troops to the city of Kirkuk and around major oil fields in the region, including Bai Hassan and Kirkuk. Until this recent move, however, Iraqi federal officials and workers from the North Oil Company had been allowed to remain. There are three major oil formations in Kirkuk: the Avana, Baba and Khurmala domes. The Kurdistan Regional Government has controlled the Khurmala dome since 2008, while North Oil Company maintained control over Avana and Baba along with the separate Bai Hassan field. On July 11, the Kurdish authorities reportedly told Baghdad's workers to either leave or work for the Kurdistan Regional Government. The key question now is whether peshmerga troops will be able to hold this position securely enough to continue production and connect the fields to their pipelines running through Kurdish territory.