Peshmerga on High Alert as Iraqi Forces Push Toward Kurdistani Territories
Iraqi forces advanced toward Qambar oil field, prompting Peshmerga in Garmiyan to go on full alert. Tensions rise over control of the strategic site, recalling past clashes. No official statements yet, but both sides reinforce positions.
By Ahora Qadi
Erbil (Kurdistan24) – An Iraqi military force made a calculated move on Friday toward the Qambar oil field located between Kifri and Qaratapa, prompting an immediate full alert response from Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces stationed in the Garmiyan administration.
Peshmerga Respond to Advance
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24 correspondent from two senior Peshmerga sources, the Iraqi Army mobilized units toward the Qambar oil field, with the objective of asserting control over the site. In response, Peshmerga forces from both the 17th and 3rd Brigades swiftly mobilized into a state of full readiness along the boundary line to prevent any unauthorized military incursion.
A Peshmerga source told Kurdistan24 that the Ministry of Peshmerga has issued firm orders barring any Iraqi force from advancing into the area. “We are under direct instructions to protect the local security and safeguard the Qambar oil installation,” the source added.
Oil Field at the Center of Recurring Tensions
This latest maneuver comes amid a renewed wave of tension over control of key energy infrastructure in the Kurdistani territories outside the KRG’s administrative control. In late August of last year, armed units of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), backed by Iraqi Army troops, attempted to push through the security gap between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces near the Qambar field under the pretext of countering ISIS militants.
That attempt was successfully thwarted after Peshmerga units encircled the area, compelling the PMF and army elements to retreat and abandon their position near the oil field.
Strategic Significance
The Qambar oil field, situated in the borderlands of the Garmiyan administration, remains a strategically significant asset both economically and geopolitically. The field’s location within a sensitive security zone underscores the ongoing friction between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi federal forces over jurisdictional authority and resource control in in the Kurdistani territories outside the KRG’s administrative control.
As of Friday evening, no official statement had been issued by either the Iraqi Ministry of Defense or the Kurdistan Regional Government. However, both sides appear to be reinforcing their positions amid fears of potential escalation.
