Kurdistan PM says ISIS still 'serious threat,' calls for security cooperation after attack near disputed territory

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Saturday stated ISIS remains "a serious threat" after the terrorist organization attacked a Peshmerga unit in the border region separating Iraqi and Kurdish troops northwest of the disputed Kirkuk province.

Three Peshmerga fighters were killed, and two were wounded during the clashes with ISIS members early Saturday. The Peshmerga Ministry said that Kurdish forces repelled the attack and killed several terrorists but did not specify further.

Read More: ISIS launches attack against Peshmerga forces in the vicinity of Kirkuk

"We have always stated that ISIS still poses a serious threat in many parts of Iraq, especially in the Kurdish regions outside the administration of the regional government, taking advantage of the security vacuum in the borders areas of those regions.”

The latest incident highlights “the importance of starting security cooperation between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces there," the prime minister affirmed.

He also stressed the importance of the anti-ISIS Coalition's continued presence in Iraq to continue training Peshmerga and Iraqi forces as part of efforts to end lingering terrorist threats.

Recently, the disputed areas, including Kirkuk, have witnessed escalating violence from ISIS, and it is directed against both civilians and security forces.

Senior officials in the Kurdistan Region have repeatedly warned that ISIS has already begun to regroup, and they have urged Baghdad to increase coordination with the Peshmerga to track down the remnants of the terrorist organization throughout the disputed areas, starting from Khanaqin in the southeast to Sinjar (Shingal) in the northwest.

The attack on the Peshmerga coincided with two armed assaults by ISIS militants on federal police in Kirkuk—making for four attacks in all early on Saturday morning: two against the Peshmerga and two against the federal police.

The first assault targeted the sites of the third division of the Federal Police in the Riyadh district, southwest of Kirkuk, while the second one targeted the 11th Federal Police Brigade in the Hawija district.

The Peshmerga Ministry said following the attacks that the disputed territories need comprehensive coordination and cooperation between Kurdish forces and the Iraqi army.

Editing by Khrush Najari