Politics

'Permanent coordination' between Iraqi, Kurdish forces in Nineveh: Governor

The governor of Iraq’s embattled Nineveh province said on Saturday that there is now “permanent coordination between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces” who are both working to track and combat cells of the Islamic State in some areas.

Kurdistan 24 2019/12/21 07:40

middle east Iraq Kurdistan Peshmerga ISIS Makhmour Nineveh

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The governor of Iraq’s embattled Nineveh province said on Saturday that there is now “permanent coordination between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces” who are both working to track and combat cells of the Islamic State in some areas.

Governor Najim al-Jabouri told Kurdistan 24 that federal and regional troops are cooperating, “especially in the Makhmour district,” part of territories long disputed by Baghdad and Erbil.

He made a point to add that Peshmerga forces have contributed to reducing the threat posed by the extremist group in the vicinity of Makhmour.

On Thursday night, residents of a Kurdish village outside Makhmour repelled an insurgent attack of the Islamic State. Residents of the village who are members of the Peshmerga, according to the statement, faced the intruders head-on, leading to armed clashes between them.

As the residents worked together to stave off the attack, the perpetrators eventually withdrew into the darkness. Shortly afterward, according to one of the fighters who worked to defend the village, a unit of “special forces from the Iraqi military arrived in the village after the attack to prevent any further insurgent operations in the area.”

In response to the Kurdistan Region’s September 2017 independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Iran-backed militias attacked multiple disputed territories where Peshmerga had been providing security, pushing the Kurdish forces from them.

Since then, Islamic State fighters have taken advantage of the security void in areas between territory protected by Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which sometimes reaches up to 20 kilometers deep. The rugged, barren terrain that is often seen in such areas has been a haven for militants who use it as a base from which to plan and launch attacks in surrounding settlements and towns.

Recently, members of the extremist group have carried out a series of terrorist attacks on both the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in such areas in or near other disputed territories, killing dozens. This has led to some Kurdish villagers nearby to request additional protection from Peshmerga forces.

Officials from Kurdistan, along with civilians in the disputed territories, have often called for a long-term joint security plan between the Erbil and Baghdad to fill the often deadly security gaps.