Iraq, Kurdistan Region reach preliminary agreement on joint forces in disputed territories
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Officials from Iraq and the autonomous Kurdistan Region reached a preliminary agreement on the formation of two joint brigades from both federal Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga security forces to be deployed to territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil where ISIS continues to exploit the lack of unified military strategy there.
A high-ranking team of officials from the Ministry of Defense held a meeting with counterparts from the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs in Erbil on Thursday. Members of the US-led Coalition to Defeat ISIS also attended.
“The two delegations discussed the issue of joint coordination centers in western Nineveh, Kirkuk, Makhmour, and Khanaqin, in addition to the formation of two joint brigades from the two ministries in the areas of contact between the Peshmerga and the army,” said Lieutenant-General Jamal Iminki, the Peshmerga's Chief of Staff, in a press conference held after the meeting,
Iminki also pointed out that both sides also discussed the issue of exchanging intelligence as part of greater efforts to increase coordination in a meaningful way.
Addressing the two joint brigades specifically, he added, “We discussed our opinions on this matter, but so far the issue has not been resolved and discussions are still ongoing between the two sides to crystallize into a unified vision.”
He added, however, “If approval is issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mustafa al-Kadhimi to allocate a budget for the two brigades, then we have no objection to their formation.”
On Wednesday, Kurdish statesman Masoud Barzani met with the head of a committee that governs the militias of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), with both stressing that coordination between federal and regional forces was crucial to achieving security and stability in Iraq's disputed territories.
According to a statement from the office of Barzani, President of the lading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), pointed out that Barzani received Falih al-Fayadh in Erbil and that the two discussed relevant particulars of the political and security situation in Iraq.
In late May, Iraq's Joint Operations Command stated that it would establish a joint security coordination center between the army and the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga in Kirkuk, just one of the territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil.
Read More: Peshmerga and Iraqi army to establish joint coordination center in Kirkuk after success in Diyala
The joint endeavor was the first conducted after the establishment of security cooperation centers in the areas, which have become hotbeds for ISIS activity following the group's 2017 territorial defeat in Iraq.
Read More: Peshmerga and Iraqi army begin joint monitoring of ISIS in disputed territories
“The Iraqi Ministry of Defense took the initiative to determine the headquarters of the two joint brigades and is waiting for the dispatch of forces from the Peshmerga,” Lieutenant-General Imink concluded after Thursday's meeting, “but we want there to be an integrated plan in this framework, including the allocation of a special budget.”
Editing by John J. Catherine
