ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Senior Iraqi military officials are slated to visit the Kurdistan Region next week to discuss disputed territories under Iraqi control. Iraqi and Kurdish officials will also discuss administrative matters in areas controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“There is very good cooperation [between Kurdistan Region and Iraq for fighting against ISIS], and it is planned for a high level delegation, headed by Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Command, Abdulameer Yarallah, next week,” Abdulkareem Khalaf, military spokesperson for outgoing Iraqi PM Adil Abdul-Mahdi, told Rudaw on Thursday.
The visit is to “hold discussions concerning the areas under the control of the Kurdistan Region and areas under the control of the Iraqi Army from Khanaqin to Zumar,” added Khalaf.
This is the latest in a series of negotiations regarding the administration and security of disputed territories. Iraqi and Kurdish delegations have met in both Baghdad and Erbil to strike deals on oil revenue, budget allocations, and the administration of disputed territories.
The territories disputed by the two governments are comprised of areas in Nineveh and the entire provinces of Kirkuk, Saladin, and Diyala. These areas underwent a process of Arabization as Kurds and other ethnic groups were forced to relocate under Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime, and are now claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil.
The areas in question are historically diverse, with mixed Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, Christian, and Yezidi populations. Article 140 of the 2005 Iraqi constitution, through a number of measures that were supposed to culminate in a referendum by December 31, 2017, would have settled the fate of these territories.
However, that referendum never came to fruition, and tensions have remained high. Kurdish Peshmerga Forces held the majority of disputed territories from 2014 until the end of 2017, after the Iraqi Army crumbled in the face of an Islamic State (ISIS) onslaught in the north and center of the country, and the Peshmerga moved in to secure the areas.
Following the territorial defeat of ISIS and an ill-fated independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region, former Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi ordered the Iraqi Army and Iranian-backed paramilitaries to move back into the territories. The Peshmerga withdrew on October 16, 2017.
This eventually led to clashes between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army, leaving a 1,000 kilometer stretch of land that is not currently accounted for by either military. A swath of the country from the Iran-Iraq border near Khanaqin all the way to the Syria-Iraq border near Zumar has become a de facto no-man’s-land, opening a gap for ISIS militants to rebuild.
In the absence of coordination between the two militaries, ISIS attacks have been persistent in disputed areas. For example, over the past months, several Peshmerga fighters and members of local Kurdish security forces have been killed or injured in ISIS attacks. Iraqi security personnel have also been killed in the ongoing fight against ISIS, and the lack of cooperation between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army is undermining efforts to guarantee security and stability for citizens living in these areas.
The solution Kurds have proposed is a return to the pre-2014 joint administration of disputed territories, and eventually the implementation of Article 140. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has already rekindled efforts for the implementation of Article 140.
Prior to 2014, Peshmerga and Kurdish Asayesh (Internal Security) were deployed alongside Iraqi Army and Iraqi police in the disputed territories, and things were run jointly. Currently, there is full Iraqi security control, with no Kurdish control.
Iraqi protests, which are in their third month, since October 1, 2019, had stalled any progress on the talks. Iraqis have been on the streets for three months now, demanding an end to corruption, nepotism, and an overhaul of the current political system. The chaos that has accompanied protests stopped Baghdad-Erbil talks.
However, the KRG and the Iraqi federal government reached an oil-for-budget deal at the end of November, thereby removing one of the biggest points of contention. This was done under the Kurd-friendly Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who has since stepped down from the post in the wake of widespread calls for his resignation.
The KRG hopes to capitalize on the oil-for-budget deal and pursue deals on other outstanding issues. Joint administration in disputed territories is critical for both sides as the threat of ISIS persists, and both sides have much to lose from an ISIS resurgence.
