Suspending anti-ISIS operations a threat to Iraq's disputed territories: MP

The recent suspension of operations in Iraq against the Islamic State by the US-led Coalition poses a significant threat to the nation's multiple disputed territories, a lawmaker in the Kurdistan Region's Parliament said on Wednesday.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The recent suspension of operations in Iraq against the Islamic State by the US-led Coalition poses a significant threat to the nation's multiple disputed territories, a lawmaker in the Kurdistan Region's Parliament said on Wednesday.

"The decision to suspend anti-ISIS operation by the US-led coalition will negatively impact areas disputed between Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s central government,” said Jwan Rozhbayani, MP and head of the Disputed Territories Committee.

Following Friday’s US assassination of Iranian commander Qasim Soleimani, the US-led Coalition against the Islamic State announced that it was suspending operations against the terrorist group to focus on ensuring the security of the military bases in Iraq from which its troops operate.

Read More: US-led Coalition suspends anti-ISIS operations

“Our first priority is protecting all Coalition personnel committed to the defeat of Da’esh,” a statement issued on Sunday by the Coalition, formally known as Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), stated.

Rozhbayani continued, “There are no Peshmerga forces in those territories to protect them against any terrorist insurgencies, and since the international Coalition can no longer conduct airstrikes, Iraq's forces will not be able to hold the security in those areas.”

She also explained that the current situation would allow Islamic State militants to gain footing and increase their activities.

Jwan Rozhbayani, lawmaker in the Kurdistan Region's Parliament and head of the Disputed Territories Committee, conducts a previous press conference, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Jwan Rozhbayani, lawmaker in the Kurdistan Region's Parliament and head of the Disputed Territories Committee, conducts a previous press conference, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Rozhbayani said she and many others are “expecting the situation in the disputed areas to only get worse and then we will lose whatever progress, limited though it may be, that has been made so far,” a view that has been voiced not only by politicians but senior military officials as well. 

Read More: ISIS back and will be worse next year, Peshmerga commander warns

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

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

Read More: After ISIS attacks, villagers in Kurdistan Region call for security outpost

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. So far, however, Baghdad has not been meaningfully addressed the issue.   

Editing by John J. Catherine