Kurdish Peshmerga, Iraqi army reach agreement on more cooperation to defeat ISIS

Lieutenant-General Jabbar Yawar, Secretary-General of the Kurdish Ministry of Peshmerga, announced on Saturday the conclusion of an agreement with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) to cooperate more to eliminate the Islamic Stata (ISIS) terrorists.

A delegation from the Kurdish Ministry of Peshmerga met in Baghdad on Saturday with Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) to discuss the recent terrorist attacks and ways to develop joint plans and increase coordination and cooperation between the two sides. read more

Yawar said in an exclusive statement to PUKmedia that the visit of the delegation of the Peshmerga Ministry to Baghdad and meeting with the JOC was positive and fruitful, explaining that they discussed the threats of ISIS terrorists, and an agreement was concluded on more field coordination, joint operations, patrols, and ambushes in Diyala, Kifri, Qara Tapa, Khurmatu, and Kirkuk regions.

According to Yawar, the agreement will enter into force as of Sunday.

He also revealed that the international coalition against ISIS welcomed the agreement and the next steps between the Peshmerga and the army.

Iraq has announced a military victory over ISIS in 2017 after 3 years of battle with the terrorists. However, remnants of the group continue to impose threats, especially in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. 

Attacks on Peshmerga points increased recently as last Thursday, a dozen Peshmerga personnel were killed in an ISIS attack near Makhmur, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Erbil. Before that, 5 Peshmerga members were killed last Saturday by a roadside bomb explosion following thwarting a terrorist attack in the Kulajo district of the Garmian region-Kurdistan Region.  

On Saturday, the US State Department renewed its support for the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said that his country expresses "deep concern" about the continued escalation of attacks by ISIS terrorist organization throughout Iraq. read more

The disputed areas and their surroundings are still a hotspot for ISIS activities. The terrorists' sleeper cells exploit the security gaps between Kurdish and Iraqi forces. 

ISIS militants ambush, kidnap, and extort both civilians and members of the security forces in the disputed areas, which stretch across several provinces, including Kirkuk, Nineveh, Diyala, and Saladin.

Kurdish officials have repeatedly warned that ISIS militants are using “security gaps” between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces to carry out attacks in the disputed territories.



PUKmedia