A Kurdish force deploys in Kirkuk for the first time since 2017

Shafaq News / A security source revealed, on Sunday, that a Kurdish force deployed in Kirkuk governorate, for the first time since 2017.

The source told Shafaq News Agency, "A force of the Protection and Emergency Police of Kurdistan Region stationed in the village of Bawa, in Laylan district, located 19 kilometers southeast of Kirkuk city.

The source added, "the goal of deploying the force is to fill the security gap in the region", noting that, "the region suffers from a big security gap that terrorist groups are taking advantage of".

Peshmerga forces deployed in Kirkuk governorate and other disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil in the summer of 2014, as Kurdish forces prevented them from falling into the hands of ISIS after the Iraqi army fled.

However, The Peshmerga forces withdrew from the disputed areas after the escalation of tension with the Iraqi forces against the backdrop of the independence referendum in 2017.

Before ISIS invaded the region, the disputed areas, including Kirkuk, were jointly administered by federal forces and Kurdistan Region.

Over the past few months, military leaders from both sides have engaged in negotiations to form joint coordination centers to confront the threat of ISIS, which has been taking advantage of the security gaps between the two sides' forces over the past years.