SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with Iraqi and Kurdish security officials in Baghdad on Sunday, issuing several directives to prevent attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
Kadhimi chaired a security meeting with ministers of defense, interior and finance and security officials as well as general secretary of the Kurdistan Region’s ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar and Chief of Staff of the Peshmerga ministry Lieutenant-General Jamal Mohammed.
They discussed developments in the security incidents which Iraq faced in the past days, Kadhimi’s office said in a statement early on Monday.
They also discussed plans to confront and limit security breaches, and maintain security and stability throughout the country, the statement read.
Coordination between the federal security forces and the Peshmerga was also discussed during the meeting, the prime minister’s office stated.
Kadhimi ordered to “activate intelligence and security efforts as well as pre-emptive operations to counter the movement of ISIS militants”, according to the statement.
The meeting came after ISIS militants attacked the Peshmerga near Prde town in south of Erbil in the early hours of Saturday, killing three members of the Kurdish forces and wounding two others.
The Ministry of Peshmerga blamed a “security vacuum” between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces for ISIS attacks against the Peshmerga forces.
Elsewhere, ISIS attacked Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk and Diyala provinces the same day.
The Peshmerga ministry’s secretary general said they discussed “serious threats of ISIS terrorists” occurring due to the “security and military vacuum”.
“It was decided to further activate coordination and joint works of the joint committees and teams between the [Iraqi] army and the Peshmerga forces in the joint centers,” Yawar said in a separate statement.
“It was also decided to fill gaps and exchange intelligence so as to prevent the repetition of such acts, to further strengthen the security lines and to increase joint operations,” he added.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
On Saturday, Coalition Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto told Esta Media Network that the U.S.-led Coalition Forces supports establishing four coordination joint centers between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the disputed territories, where ISIS exploits the security vacuum to attack the security forces and people.
“To achieve long term security and stability in Iraq it is important for there to be greater liaison and cooperation between the KRG and GoI, especially in disputed territories where Daesh exploit the gaps to gain more freedom to maneuver,” Marotto said, using an acronym for the Iraqi government.
“The CJTF-OIR goal is that coordination is developed between KSF and ISF to the point that it allows no sanctuary for Daesh fighters,” he added.
