Kurdistan Security Council: Iraqi forces preparing for attack on Peshmerga near Makhmour

Kurdistan Region called on the international community to "condemn Iraq's aggressive military moves."

Baxtiyar Goran 2017/12/18 13:27

kurdistan Kurdistan Erbil Baghdad Relations Peshmerga Makhmour

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) on Monday said the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias are preparing an attack against Peshmerga forces near Makhmour.

In a statement, the KRSC said the Iraqi army, Hashd al-Shaabi, Federal Police, and Emergency Response Division had deployed troops near Makhmour to attack the Peshmerga-controlled areas.

"We are alarmed by significant Iraqi military buildup in the vicinity of Makhmour, Southwest of Erbil, in preparation for an attack on nearby Peshmerga positions," the statement read.

"We call on the Federal Government of Iraq to stop its provocative military advances," the statement continued. "It is a gross violation of the Iraqi Constitution."

The KRSC also called on the international community to "condemn Iraq's aggressive military moves," adding that the Iraqi government must "accept [the] Kurdistan Region's calls for dialogue to settle disputes."