Erbil, Baghdad discuss formation of joint brigades
The Kurdish military officials will also meet with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command in Baghdad, the official said.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Officials from the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense are discussing efforts to form joint brigades to be deployed in the disputed territories in a bid to tackle the resurgence of ISIS.
A Peshmerga delegation is visiting Baghdad on Wednesday to discuss arming and financing the brigades, which consist of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, Maj. Gen. Hoshmand Rashid, the deputy chief of staff of Peshmerga forces, told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.
The Kurdish military officials will also meet with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command in Baghdad, he added.
The US-led Coalition against ISIS has worked with both ministries to ramp up efforts to form the brigades.
Following the ouster of Peshmerga forces in 2017 by the Iraqi forces and Shiite militias, the so-called security vacuum has widened in the disputed territories, allowing ISIS remnants to regroup and launch hit-and-run attacks.
“Security vacuum” is the term widely used by officials from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and the US-led anti-ISIS Coalition to describe the lack of unified military communication and strategy in large tracts of land ranging from Khanaqin in central Diyala province to Mosul in the north.
In addition to joint operations, Kurdistan Region officials regularly call on Baghdad to speed up the formation process in order to prevent the terror group's resurgence.
