Peshmerga detained by Iraqi forces in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi forces in Kirkuk on Wednesday detained five Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces, according to the province’s police.

The members of the Kurdish forces visited the Pride subdistrict in Kirkuk for medical purposes, when they were “detained” by the local Iraqi forces, according to an anonymous source from the Kirkuk police. 

The Peshmerga members, wearing their uniforms, were not carrying any weapons when they were detained. Later the same day, they were released. 

Until October 16, 2017, Kurdish Peshmerga forces were in control of the province’s security. Afterwards, Iraqi forces backed by Iranian-affiliated militia forces ousted the Kurdish forces in a military campaign.

The then-Iraqi government launched the military campaign in response to the Region’s independence referendum in 2017, where more than 90 percent voted in favor of independence. 

As a result of the military takeover, thousands of civilians were temporarily displaced across the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad, while hundreds of properties belonging to the Kurdish owners were vandalized.

The lack of security cooperation between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the disputed territories has allowed for the resurgence of the so-called ISIS remnants, whose self-proclaimed caliphate was toppled seven years ago.