President Barzani: Peshmerga in Areas Abandoned by Iraqi Army

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani said Friday that Kurdish Peshmerga have moved into areas abandoned by the Iraqi army, and called on the forces to guard against “any encroachment” of Kurdistan’s borders.

“To protect the people of Kurdistan and its ethnic and religious groups, as well as government institutions and to fill the vacuum, Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces have moved to areas abandoned by the Iraqi army,” the president said in a statement.

Kurdish forces slowly moved in to take control of major roads, as well as Kurdish-majority villages and towns, after the Iraq army collapsed, leaving weapons and posts before an onslaught led by the jihadi Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Peshmerga spokesperson Jabar Yawar said that Kurdish forces had "full control" of Kirkuk on Thursday morning. He added that the Kurds could not risk the city’s majority-Kurdish populations – and oilfields that include one of Iraq’s largest – falling into militant hands. 

By late Friday the jihadis had captured large parts of Iraq’s Sunni regions, including major cities like Mosul and Tikrit as well as areas in Diyala province, and were moving toward Baghdad.

In a message to the Kurdish security and Peshmerga forces, Barzani urged them to “watchfully protect Kurdistan’s borders” against any threats to the stability of the region.

Barzani who is also commander in chief of all Kurdish armed forces, urged vigilance against the military and security vacuum caused by the defeat of the Iraqi army.

He also called for the protection of thousands of refugee families who have fled Mosul and sought shelter in the safety of the Kurdistan Region.

The president urged the security forces to “keep the borders, protect people and their properties and not allow any encroachment of the Kurdish borders.”

Barzani reassured the Kurdish people that “the Peshmerga and security forces will not allow the peace and calm of Kurdistan to be threatened.”