Iraq cannot liberate Hawija without Peshmerga: Ministry
Baghdad has no plans to free the city of Hawija from the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq, a Kurdish official from the Peshmerga Ministry said on Tuesday.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Baghdad has no plans to free the city of Hawija from the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq, a Kurdish official from the Peshmerga Ministry said on Tuesday.
Hawija is located in the west of Kirkuk Province that IS occupied in the middle of 2014 following the control of Mosul and Nineveh in northern Iraq.
The city makes up 30 percent of Kirkuk’s territory which remains under the insurgent group’s control.
In an interview with Kurdistan24, the Secretary-General of the Peshmerga Ministry Jabar Yawar said the Ministry held meetings with the Iraqi Defense Ministry about Hawija’s liberation before the launch of the Mosul operation in October 2016.
“Baghdad was not serious about the liberation of Hawija,” Yawar said. “They often delayed the date of the operation.”
“The liberation of Hawija cannot be done by Peshmerga forces alone because it is an Arab-populated area, and it is not part of the disputed territories outside of the KRG administration,” he continued.
“The Iraqi federal police forces should start the operation and Peshmerga will cooperate with them just like in the Mosul offensive,” Yawar added.
The official stated Iraqi forces cannot liberate Hawija without the help of Peshmerga forces because the Kurdish forces are stationed on the east, northeast, and southeast border of the area.
“Iraqi forces are present only from the west and southwest of Hawija’s border,” Yawar informed.
According to him, the operation will not be successful without cooperation between Peshmerga, Iraqi forces, and the US-led coalition.
Last week, the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi stated the liberation of Mosul would be a foundation for retaking Hawija from the extremist group.
Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim recently told reporters that postponing Hawija’s liberation until after the Mosul offensive was a mistake
Yawar explained the presence of IS in Hawija led to ongoing security threats on Kirkuk and oil companies near the border.
Kirkuk is home to half a million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), some who have fled from IS in Hawija to Peshmerga front lines in west and southwest Kirkuk.
According to Kirkuk officials, the IDPs have created a substantial load on the province’s administration.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany