Lack of Kurdish-Iraqi cooperation led to ISIS attack: Peshmerga commander

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Peshmerga commander on Sunday said a security gap between Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the disputed territories is to blame for the killing of two of their soldiers in a suspected Islamic State (ISIS) attack in northwestern Kirkuk the day before. Talks on the formation of joint brigades between the two forces have stalled.

“There is a large security gap between us and the Iraqi army,” Kirkuk Peshmerga commander Nuri Hama Ali told reporters, adding that in this space, there are “several hideouts and caves” that can be used by militants for shelter.

Militants “can go there two or three days earlier to hide and then extend their dirty hands at our forces when they are given the chance,” he said.

Kurdistan's counter-terror directorate said ISIS militants attacked Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk’s Pirde (Altun Kupri) district on Saturday night, killing two and injuring several others. The two dead were identified as Khalid Hameed and Ako Karim.

No group has claimed responsibility.

Kurdish and Iraqi officials said the attack proves that ISIS remains a threat to the country as it tries to exploit the security gap between territories controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government.

“The recurrence and increase in terrorist attacks proves that ISIS is still a real threat to the peace and stability of the country,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said in a statement.

The “attack reaffirms the importance of continuous coordination between the KRG and the federal govt [government],” tweeted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Iraqi President Barham Salih, in a tweet, also reiterated the importance of strengthening security efforts and supporting armed forces in the country.

ISIS seized control of swaths of land in Iraq in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017, but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces. Areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil stretch across several provinces, including Kirkuk, and are a hotspot for ISIS activity. Sleeper cells have taken shelter in a security vacuum, void of either Iraqi federal forces or Kurdish Peshmerga.

In July, the Peshmerga ministry said they were working with their Iraqi counterparts on the formation of two joint brigades to counter ISIS remnants in these disputed areas. Last month, the deputy Peshmerga minister said the brigade will be formed after Iraq’s October 10 election.

Kirkuk Peshmerga commander Ali said the Iraqi side is the reason for the delay. “Iraqis have not come forward so we can together fill the security gap,” he said, noting that Iraq is still “not ready.”

In May, three Peshmerga fighters were killed and two were wounded in an ISIS attack in Kirkuk. The forces were also targeted by rocket fire in late March.

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