Iraqi army and Peshmerga carry out another joint operation near Makhmour

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Peshmerga Major-General Sirwan Barzani, Commander of Sector 6, on Friday said that another joint operation was conducted by the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army near Makhmour.

Another joint operation was conducted by the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army in the gap areas between Sergeran town and Qerechukh mountain to clean the area of ISIS terrorists. pic.twitter.com/ybQVdnVXwv

— Sirwan Barzani (@SirwanBarzani_) December 1, 2023

He said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the operation focused on the “gap areas between Sergeran town and Qerechukh mountain to clean the area of ISIS terrorists.”

ISIS has exploited security gaps along the border of the Kurdistan region of Iraq between Iraqi armed and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to continue attacks and resupply its militants in desert and mountainous areas.

These gaps were created following the Kurdistan Region's 2017 independence referendum, after Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) pushed the Peshmerga out of the disputed territories. Since then, ISIS has exploited this large security vacuum between Iraqi and Kurdish armed forces.

Earlier this week on Wednesday, Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces also launched a joint operation with the Iraqi army in the mountainous area of Makhmour, in the southern part of Erbil province, against the ISIS remnants.

Previously, there were tensions between Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga in Makhmour after three Peshmerga forces were killed on Oct. 22.

However, relations were quickly restored after a deal on Nov. 2, between the Ministry of Peshmerga and the Iraqi Armed Forces to coordinate in Makhmour.