Kirkuk’s provincial government confirmed Tuesday that it has received $10 million for oil exported and sold independently by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).The payment follows a deal struck between the KRG and Kirkuk Gov. Najmaldin Karim in December, brokered with Turkish diplomatic encouragement, that functions to bind the autonomous Kurdistan region and Kurdish-led Kirkuk province even closer together, and to weaken the cash-strapped federal government’s grip on the oil