SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A Turkmen party in Iraq voiced opposition on Tuesday to the formation of a joint force between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces for the disputed areas.
Deputy head of Turkmeneli Party Nabil Bakr said the formation of a joint force between the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces violated the Iraqi constitution.
Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry Jabar Yawar said earlier that the federal government and the Regional government had reached an agreement to form a joint force from the Iraqi and Kurdish forces for areas between Baghdad and Erbil.
“The constitution has specified the duty of the Peshmerga forces, who are guards of the Kurdistan Region,” Bakr said. “The formation of a joint force will damage the social peace and violates the Iraqi constitution.”
“We are completely against it, particularly as the situation in Kirkuk is table due to the Iraqi federal forces,” he added.
“Turkmens and Arabs will have their stance if a joint force between the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces are formed,” he continued.
The Iraqi forces along with Hashid al-Shaabi took control of Kirkuk and other disputed areas from Kurdish forces in October 2017.
Since then, no units of the Kurdish forces have been able to return to those areas due to a lack of agreement between Baghdad and Erbil.
