SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani ordered to “rapidly” secure the urgent needs of the Peshmerga forces during a meeting with commanders on Monday.
Barzani, commander-in-chief of the Peshmerga forces, held a meeting with the commanders in Erbil to discuss the recent attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) militants on the Kurdish forces in the disputed territories.
Twenty-two members of the Peshmerga forces have been killed and a number of in several ISIS attacks since November 27.
Barzani said during the meeting that “fullest military cooperation and coordination” is required between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi military so as to fill gaps between the two sides, the Region’s presidency said in a statement.
“It was reaffirmed that the terrorists exploit the vacuum and security gaps in areas between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army to launch attacks,” the presidency stated.
“The President gave orders to rapidly secure the urgent needs of the Peshmerga forces, in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government and relevant authorities,” it said.
“The President tasked the Commanders and the relevant authorities to reorganize the frontlines of the battle against terrorists, to fill the gaps and to offset the shortages with full cooperation and coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army.”
Kurdish officials have long blamed a lack of coordination along a stretch of territory claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil for ISIS’ continued ability to wage deadly attacks.
The Peshmerga ministry said the militants continued to use a security gap between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces to attack the Peshmerga.
Islamic State controlled roughly a third of Iraq between 2014 and 2017, including the remote Makhmour region but also major cities including Mosul.
Iraqi forces, Kurdish troops and Iran-backed Shia militias defeated the militant group in 2017, but its members still roam areas of northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.
