KRI: Baghdad must protect oil sites after Sept. 30
Shafaq News- Erbil/ Baghdad
Iraq’s federal government will bear major responsibility after September 30 for defending the country, including the Kurdistan Region, particularly in air defense, with protection of the Region’s oil facilities forming part of that responsibility, Kurdistan Region Presidency spokesperson Dilshad Shahab said on Monday.
Shahab told a press conference that aerial protection of the Region’s oil facilities falls under an agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government. Attacks on the facilities had significantly harmed Iraq’s economy as a whole, he added, noting that a major share of Iraq’s revenues comes from the Region.
Federal delegations have visited the Kurdistan Region and its oil facilities. Baghdad and Erbil had reached an agreement in principle on protecting the infrastructure, but Shahab said he did not know the remaining military details.
The September 30 date marks the scheduled end of the remaining Global Coalition military mission in Iraq. Coalition military support in recent years had been provided under agreements with the federal government, with Shahab noting that the end of the Coalition mission would not necessarily end international military assistance. Future support “could continue” without Coalition forces maintaining their current presence on the ground.
Read more: What happens to Iraq's armed factions after September 30?
“Senior military commanders have told us that Iraq still needs international support because there are many threats in the region,” Shahab said, adding that unifying Peshmerga forces was a “key condition” for continued Coalition support.
The Kurdistan Region has faced repeated attacks on its energy infrastructure, damaging facilities and forcing some operators to suspend or reduce production. On September 10, Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed revealed that some oil companies had resumed production, while others remained offline pending security and air-defense guarantees.
Read more: Iraq to assume full security responsibility as Coalition mission ends
