Peshmerga, Iraqi forces extend ceasefire until agreement reached

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A ceasefire between Peshmerga, Iraqi forces, and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia was extended on Sunday until both sides reach an agreement over disputes, a source said.

Both sides will meet in Mosul to discuss issues regarding the control of the border areas the Kurdistan Region shares with Turkey and Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), a Kurdistan 24 correspondent said, citing a source who will attend the meeting.

Military delegations from both Erbil and Baghdad will also meet to discuss issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq following Friday’s 24-hour ceasefire announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The spokesperson for Abadi’s office, Saad al-Hadithi, said the meeting’s main goal was to allow the deployment of Iraqi forces to the border areas of Kurdistan without violence.

Relations between Erbil and Baghdad have considerably deteriorated, namely after the Region’s Sep. 25 independence referendum.

Tensions have escalated over the past few weeks, leading to the Iraqi government using military force to control the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and other disputed territories which have been under the control of Peshmerga since mid-2014.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany