ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Peshmerga deputy commander succumbed to his injuries on Saturday a week after Kurdish forces clashed with the Iraqi army near the disputed town of Makhmour. This brings the total number of Peshmerga deaths in the incident to four. The Peshmerga and the Iraqi army clashed on Sunday near Erbil province’s Makhmour town following the withdrawal of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from some military posts. It was initially reported that the altercation was over who should replace the PKK fighters in the area, but Kurdish officials later said the incident was due to a “misunderstanding.” Two members of the Peshmerga forces died on Sunday and several others were hospitalized with serious injuries. Brigade commander Salih Zirari died after a couple of days in hospital and on Saturday his deputy Posho Khalid passed away as well, the Peshmerga ministry announced. Casualties among the Iraqi forces have been reported, but the army has not publicized details. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered an investigation, though no results have been revealed yet. The Iraqi army has demanded control of three military posts in return for providing security for Makhmour Camp, which houses thousands of Kurds who fled Turkey decades ago. The posts the PKK abandoned, however, are located within the jurisdiction of the Peshmerga forces as per a security agreement between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army’s Nineveh Joint Operations Command, Ghazi Faisal, head of a unit of Peshmerga volunteers in Makhmour district, told Rudaw at the time of the incident. The PKK withdrew from the area after Turkey conducted repeated drone and airstrikes on the refugee camp.
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