Iraqi army briefly detains Peshmerga member at Kirkuk checkpoint

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi army briefly detained a Peshmerga member at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kirkuk and confiscated his weapons, Kurdish officials said.

A Kurdish commander said the 32-year-old Kirkuk city resident was detained for carrying multiple weapons including a pistol and a Kalashnikov rifle.

Security is tightening amid concerns over instability in Syria and Islamic State (ISIS) threats to Iraq, a senior Kurdistan Region officer in the Iraqi Joint Operations Command told Rudaw on Thursday.

“Following the events in Syria, Iraqi government checkpoints have been tightened. The army is questioning people and specifically searching for weapons… to prevent ISIS from infiltrating. The Peshmerga member was detained within this context for carrying weapons,” the officer said.

Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Region stepped up border and internal security following weeks of fighting and instability in neighboring Syria that drove Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) out of former ISIS strongholds, triggering ISIS prison breaks and international fears of an ISIS resurgence.

Iraqi officials have warned that breaches or infiltrations by ISIS prisoners pose a serious security threat to Iraq.

According to a Peshmerga commander familiar with the matter, the detainee was released after coordinating with Iraqi officials.

“Yesterday we secured the release of the Peshmerga member and met with Iraqi army officials. They said that if he provides official documentation from his division, his weapons will be returned to him,” he said.

Kurdish officials said Peshmerga forces have been instructed to avoid entering Iraqi government checkpoints while armed, particularly in disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad.

“There have been several incidents of Peshmerga members being detained in recent days,” a Kurdish official said.

A Ministry of Peshmerga commander said the Iraqi army has also banned off-duty troops from carrying weapons, aside from officers who are permitted to carry pistols.

Eight armed Peshmerga troops were also briefly detained by Iraqi forces last month between Kifri and Khurmatu about 80 kilometers southeast of Kirkuk city.

Kirkuk, Iraq’s most diverse enclave, is home to Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Assyrians and has been run by the Iraqi government since 2017. Peshmerga controlled the province’s security during the height of ISIS until being expelled by the Iraqi military.