Top Kurdistan Region officials meet Iraq’s defense minister

The Iraqi official stated, "there should be good coordination" between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi government as "ISIS is the enemy of all."

Erbil (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad Saadoun on Thursday met with top officials in the Kurdistan Region, during which he reiterated the "necessity" of coordination in the disputed territories between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces to combat the resurgence of the so-called Islamic State.

"We discussed the ongoing threat of terrorists and spoke of the importance of strengthening the security and military cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil," said Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in a social media post.

Furthering a "culture of coexistence" among the different ethnic and religious components of Iraq was also stressed, a Kurdish statement from Barzani's office said.

Minister Saadoun also "briefed" Barzani on the latest political and security developments in Iraq with a particular emphasis on the threat the Islamic State continues to pose in the central provinces of the country, according to the statement.

The Iraqi official also "delivered the greetings of the Iraqi Prime Minister to President Barzani."

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (R) meets the Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad Sa’dun, discussing coordination between the ISIS threats, June 25, 2020. (Photo: KRG)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (R) meets the Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad Sa’dun, discussing coordination between the ISIS threats, June 25, 2020. (Photo: KRG)

The minister later sat down with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. Saadoun stated, "there should be good coordination" between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi government as "ISIS is the enemy of all" and does not "differentiate" between any component in Iraq, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.

For his part, Barzani "stressed" the importance of reactivating the joint security mechanism between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces in the disputed territories to combat the "terrorist threats" in these areas.

The prime minister also expressed his government's "willingness" to resolve outstanding issues between the regional and federal government by reaching an agreement that is in the interest of all Iraqis, the press release read.

In recent months, the so-called Islamic State has increased its activities across the country, most notably in disputed territories between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government of Iraq, targeting and killing dozens of civilians and members of the security forces.

Top Kurdistan Region officials and Peshmerga commanders have issued repeated warnings to both the Iraqi government and the international community that the Islamic State remains active and capable of reasserting itself and re-emerging in the disputed territories to continue its campaign of violence.

Editing by Khrush Najari