ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The issue of a single military command for Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces was not raised by the head of the US Joints Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford, a senior Kurdish official said.
“We were not aware of such a plan and it was not brought up during the meeting we had with General Dunford,” Fuad Hussein, the Kurdistan Region presidential chief of staff told Rudaw.
The Pentagon said that during a visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region this week, Dunford told the Iraqi government that it must appoint a single military leader for Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
“The government needs to appoint a military leader with command for the overall military effort in the country – including the Iraqi security forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces,” said Dunford, who met Iraqi and Kurdish leaders on an unannounced two-day visit.
Anwar Haji Osman, the deputy Peshmerga minister, said he did not see the necessity of having a single command for all forces.
“The Peshmerga ministry has a joint operation center with the Iraqi army at the ministry here in Erbil. If we need to consult on a particular issue, we do it easily,” he said.
The joint operation room in Erbil is under the supervision of US military advisors. It was established more than a year ago in Erbil to coordinate military action among the different forces fighting the Islamic State group (ISIS).
“We were not aware of such a plan and it was not brought up during the meeting we had with General Dunford,” Fuad Hussein, the Kurdistan Region presidential chief of staff told Rudaw.
The Pentagon said that during a visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region this week, Dunford told the Iraqi government that it must appoint a single military leader for Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
“The government needs to appoint a military leader with command for the overall military effort in the country – including the Iraqi security forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces,” said Dunford, who met Iraqi and Kurdish leaders on an unannounced two-day visit.
Anwar Haji Osman, the deputy Peshmerga minister, said he did not see the necessity of having a single command for all forces.
“The Peshmerga ministry has a joint operation center with the Iraqi army at the ministry here in Erbil. If we need to consult on a particular issue, we do it easily,” he said.
The joint operation room in Erbil is under the supervision of US military advisors. It was established more than a year ago in Erbil to coordinate military action among the different forces fighting the Islamic State group (ISIS).
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