SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Peshmerga forces have been placed on “alert” on Prde frontline south of Erbil due to the possibility of movement and attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) militants, a security source said on Thursday.
A source from the Peshmerga forces said a number of the Peshmerga forces had been moved so as to prevent the possibility of any attack by the ISIS remnants on the Kurdish forces.
A group of ISIS militants attacked the Peshmerga forces near Prde on May 1, killing three members of the Kurdish forces and wounding two others.
“The Peshmerga forces in the frontline have been put on alert,” the source told Esta Media Network.
“ISIS movement has increased in those areas and that is the reason of the precautionary measures taken by the Peshmerga,” the source added.
Following the attack, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi chaired a meeting with Iraqi security and Peshmerga officials in Baghdad.
He ordered the activation of coordination centers between the Iraqi military and the Kurdish forces.
The Ministry of Peshmerga blamed a “security vacuum” between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces for ISIS attacks against the Peshmerga forces.
An Iraqi military delegation is expected to visit the Kurdistan Region in the near future to discuss establishing the coordination centers between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, according to a Peshmerga official.
Deputy Chief of Staff of Peshmerga Operations Major General Qaraman Kamal said works on establishing the joint coordination centers in Kirkuk, Mosul, Diyala and Makhmour were suspended after the Peshmerga ministry had “notes” on the methods of opening them.
“The activation of those centers will create good coordination between Peshmerga and the Iraqi military, and it is important to have them activated quickly due to the increase of ISIS movement in those areas,” he said.
On May 1, Coalition Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto told Esta Media Network that the U.S.-led Coalition Forces supports establishing four joint coordination centers between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the disputed territories, where ISIS exploits the security vacuum to attack the security forces and residents.
“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.
He used acronyms for the government of Iraq, and the Kurdistan Regional Government as well as an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
“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, referring to the Kurdish and Iraqi security forces.
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”.
