SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The first joint operations room between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi military was opened in Khanaqin district on Wednesday, a Kurdish commander said.
Brigadier General Mohammed Rostam told Esta Media Network that the joint operations room between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi military had begun its work at the Peshmerga’s frontlines 1 and 2 in Khanaqin.
Khanaqin is a disputed area claimed by both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Rostam, who is the deputy head of Peshmerga’s frontline-1, said four Peshmerga officers including a senior officer and a military staff from the federal government would work in the room.
“The duty and responsibility of the room is to exchange information and to make decisions on unilateral and joint acts to face the security problems,” Rostam added.
“Even the social problems will be recorded in the room, and both sides will be informed about them,” he noted.
“Another point is joint checkpoints. In our jurisdiction and Khanaqin, there were 12 joint checkpoints before. Now, we want to re-establish them,” he said.
Following attacks by Islamic State (ISIS) militants against the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in disputed territories, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered establishing joint operations rooms in those areas to prevent further attacks.
Kurdish officials have warned that ISIS militants are using a “security vacuum” between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces to carry out attacks in the disputed territories.
Three other joint operations rooms are expected to be opened in Kirkuk, Makhmour and Mosul in the future.
“What has been emphasized in the previous meetings was four main points. The first one started with the formation of a joint operations room in Khanaqin,” the Peshmerga commander said.
“Another point is to fill the gaps between Peshmerga and the Iraqi military. There are a lot of gaps along the 540 kilometers from Khanaqin to Sinjar,” he added.
A senior Peshmerga official said last week that Kadhimi had ordered the implementation of security agreements previously reached between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
Jabar Yawar, Secretary General of the Peshmerga Ministry, said the Iraqi military and the Peshmerga had previously reached an agreement to establish joint coordination centers for the regions of Khanaqin, Kirkuk, Mosul and Makhmour.
Recently, ISIS militants have increased attacks against the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the disputed territories, claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil.
The militants attacked the Peshmerga forces near Prde town south of Erbil and in Kifri district in Diyala province this month.
Four members of the Peshmerga forces were killed and three others wounded in the attacks, according to Peshmerga officials,
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”.
