Iraqi army should be only force in disputed territories: Shia cleric rejects Peshmerga redeployment
The Iraqi army should be the only armed force managing the security of disputed territories, influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said on Sunday regarding rumors of a possible redeployment of Kurdish Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk Province.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi army should be the only armed force managing the security of disputed territories, influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said on Sunday regarding rumors of a possible redeployment of Kurdish Peshmerga forces to Kirkuk Province.
Sadr’s comments came after local media outlets reported negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil to redeploy the Peshmerga in Kirkuk and other disputed areas were underway. Kurdish officials recently denied any talks on this subject, which was also confirmed by Iraqi forces.
“Only security forces from the Iraqi army should protect the disputed territories, no other forces,” Sadr said in response to a question from one of his followers regarding reports on a possible Peshmerga redeployment to disputed areas.
Sadr is the leader of al-Ahrar Bloc in the Iraqi Parliament which currently holds 34 seats out of total 328. For the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, he formed a coalition with other Shia parties, excluding the leading Dawa Party.
“This is not just for the disputed territories. They should protect every inch of the country,” Sadr added, suggesting the Iraqi army should be deployed to the Kurdistan Region.
Sadr has an armed militia called Saraya al-Salam, Arabic for Peace Brigades. They were deployed to Kirkuk Province after Iraqi forces and the pro-Iran Shia Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) militias seized the area in October last year in response to the Kurdistan Region’s referendum on independence.
The brigade eventually withdrew from Kirkuk and stationed itself on the main road connecting the province and Baghdad after kidnappings and ambushes increased as the Islamic State (IS) began setting up fake security checkpoints along the highway.
Six months after the capture of the oil-rich and ethnically diverse Kirkuk by Iraqi forces, Hashd al-Shaabi militias remain present in the province, stationed in the headquarters of Kurdish parties who were forced to leave the area following the Oct. 16 attack.
Editing by Nadia Riva
