Iraq
Iraqi army vehicles pass through Peshmerga forces on their way to the Makhmour front. File Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Joint brigades of Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces, tasked with securing disputed areas where Islamic State (ISIS) militants take advantage of a security vacuum, is expected to begin operations next week, a security official said on Tuesday.
Abdulkhaliq Talaat, the Kurdistan Region representative for the Joint Operations Command told Rudaw that all preparations for the joint brigades to start operating are complete, and they are set to begin their duties in the Diyala and Kirkuk provinces next week, areas that have fewer security forces.
ISIS militants have taken advantage of the security vacuum that exists between federal and regional forces in areas disputed between the two governments around Kirkuk, Diyala, Khanaqin, Salahaddin, and western Nineveh.
To combat ISIS in these areas, the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga ministry agreed in 2021 to form two joint brigades that will be under full control of the federal government.
Despite the agreement, the formation of the brigades was delayed because of turmoil around forming the government after the 2021 election and lack of funding. There is also a historic lack of trust between the two forces. In October, a misunderstanding between them in the Makhmour area led to a deadly altercation.
The two brigades will be fully under the control of the Iraqi federal government, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar told Rudaw English in 2021.
Following a meeting with the Iraqi army’s chief of staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah in November, the Iraqi parliament’s Deputy Speaker Shakhawan Abdullah announced on his page on Facebook that it was decided for one of the joint brigades to start operations in December.
In the Pentagon’s most recent report on anti-ISIS activities up to the end of December, the coalition said, citing media reports, that the joint brigades “took as step forward” as one of the brigades started training in December.
Abdulkhaliq Talaat, the Kurdistan Region representative for the Joint Operations Command told Rudaw that all preparations for the joint brigades to start operating are complete, and they are set to begin their duties in the Diyala and Kirkuk provinces next week, areas that have fewer security forces.
ISIS militants have taken advantage of the security vacuum that exists between federal and regional forces in areas disputed between the two governments around Kirkuk, Diyala, Khanaqin, Salahaddin, and western Nineveh.
To combat ISIS in these areas, the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga ministry agreed in 2021 to form two joint brigades that will be under full control of the federal government.
Despite the agreement, the formation of the brigades was delayed because of turmoil around forming the government after the 2021 election and lack of funding. There is also a historic lack of trust between the two forces. In October, a misunderstanding between them in the Makhmour area led to a deadly altercation.
The two brigades will be fully under the control of the Iraqi federal government, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar told Rudaw English in 2021.
Following a meeting with the Iraqi army’s chief of staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah in November, the Iraqi parliament’s Deputy Speaker Shakhawan Abdullah announced on his page on Facebook that it was decided for one of the joint brigades to start operations in December.
In the Pentagon’s most recent report on anti-ISIS activities up to the end of December, the coalition said, citing media reports, that the joint brigades “took as step forward” as one of the brigades started training in December.
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