Peshmerga Commander visits Iraqi Command Center in Mosul
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Peshmerga Major-General Sirwan Barzani, Commander of Sector 6, visited Mosul and the Iraqi Command Center of Nineveh Operations on Monday.
“We were received by M. G. Mahmoud Khalaf, Commander - Nineveh Operations, M. G. Haydar Fadhel, Commander - Special Operations II, and M. G. Abdullah Ramadan, Commander - 14th Division,” Barzani said in a public statement.
“We discussed the continuous cooperation between the Peshmerga, Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Security Institutions in the fight against ISIS.”
I was pleased to visit Mosul & the Command Centre of Nineveh Operations. We were received by M. G. Mahmoud Khalaf, M. G. Haydar Fadhel, & M. G. Abdullah Ramadan. We discussed continuous cooperation b/w the #Peshmerg, Iraqi Army & Security Institutions of #Iraq against #ISIS. pic.twitter.com/zXsCCgXDBa
— Sirwan Barzani (@SirwanBarzani_) June 20, 2022
Last Sunday, senior officials from the Kurdistan Region received a high-ranking Iraqi military delegation headed by Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Lieutenant-General Abd Al Amir Rashid Yarallah.
Read More: Iraqi delegation discusses Peshmerga-Iraqi army coordination with Kurdistan Region top officials
During that meeting, both sides emphasized the need for further cooperation and coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army against ISIS.
The Peshmerga forces should be treated as part of Iraq’s defense apparatus, and strengthening it is in the interest of Iraq’s stability, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told the Iraqi delegation.
Read More: Strengthened Peshmerga is in interest of Iraq’s stability: PM Masrour Barzani
The US-led coalition has also supported cooperation between the Iraqi Army and the Peshmerga against ISIS. Cooperation between them against ISIS in the disputed territories increased noticeably last year following a series of deadly ISIS attacks that killed civilians and Peshmerga.
However, according to a recent Pentagon Inspector General report, the slow government formation process in Baghdad and the lack of a new Iraqi budget have stalled both the establishment of joint brigades between the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Peshmerga and the payment of salaries to the Kurdish security forces.