Peshmerga and Defense Ministry complete preparations for joint forces to address 'terrorist vacuums'
Shafaq News / A military official in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) announced on Wednesday that all military, administrative, and logistical preparations have been completed for the launch of a joint coordination plan to address the security gaps in disputed areas.
KRI’s representative in the Joint Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Abdul Khaliq Talat told Shafaq News Agency that the Iraqi Army and Peshmerga forces have finalized plans for the deployment and distribution of joint forces in the security gaps between the army and the Peshmerga in the disputed areas extending from the outskirts of Diyala to Nineveh and the Syrian border.
Talat explained that the distribution and deployment plans have been determined based on security needs in order to address the gaps where ISIS elements are present, aiming to eliminate their presence and prevent them from engaging in terrorist activities or threatening security forces and civilians.
He emphasized that the commencement of joint security tasks is pending funding and the payment of salaries for the joint coordination brigades before initiating military field operations.
The Joint Coordination Agreement between the Ministry of Defense and the Peshmerga Ministry includes four provisions: The establishment of joint coordination centers, addressing security gaps between the army and the Peshmerga, the establishment and operation of joint inspection points, and expansion operations in various sectors to sweep areas and pursue ISIS hideouts, alongside the exchange of security and intelligence information for counter-terrorism efforts.
The implementation of this agreement had been postponed for about two years due to financial allocations and logistical procedures by the federal government and the Ministry of Defense.
The security gaps between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces represent one of the most significant challenges to efforts to combat ISIS remnants in the country, stretching from the Syrian border in the north, through Nineveh, Saladin, Kirkuk, and reaching Diyala on the Iranian border.
