PM Kadhimi visits Makhmour, vows military supply to Peshmerga

Layal Shakir

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has stressed the necessity of stronger cooperation between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces to limit Islamic State (ISIS) activities and fight its resurgence during a visit to the town of Makhmour on Wednesday, where the militant group killed a number of civilians and Peshmerga fighters just  a few days earlier. 

Accompanied by a high-level security delegation, Kadhimi met with top Peshmerga officials and commanders in Makhmour on Wednesday morning.

The premier arrived in the town to “observe its situation, stand by the security plans placed to confront threats from terrorists and to prevent the recurrence of the security breach that ISIS remnants have exploited,” Kadhimi's office quoted him as saying.

His visit to the area was a “good initiative”, Deputy Peshmerga Minister Sarbast Lazgin told Rudaw’s Ranja Jamal from Makhmour.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received Kadhimi in Erbil earlier in the day. His visit coincided with the joint operation launched by Iraqi and Peshmerga forces in Kifri-Garmaser front to clear out ISIS remnants in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A number of ISIS militants attacked Dibis town in Kirkuk, killing two Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday night.

Kadhimi also visited Liheban village which was attacked on Thursday by ISIS, along with Khidirjija village, resulting in the death of three civilians and ten Peshmerga fighters. The terror group has killed 22 Kurdish fighters in several attacks since November 27.

The prime minister’s visit allowed the “Peshmerga forces and Iraqi defense forces to go to Liheban village together,” before the formation of the two joint brigades between Baghdad and Erbil, commander of Peshmerga forces in Makhmour Sirwan Barzani told Rudaw.

Efforts to form joint brigades in the disputed areas began earlier this year, but have stalled.

ISIS seized control of swaths of land in Iraq in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017, but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.

It has recently launched a series of increased attacks on Peshmerga and Iraqi forces. Officials have blamed the deadly offensives on a lack of coordination between the forces in the disputed areas, with Peshmerga fighters saying their force lacks the latest developed military equipment.

However, PM Kadhimi vowed to deliver developed military equipment to the Peshmerga forces such as thermal cameras that are used for monitoring territories and curbing alien activities.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also ordered the fulfillment of the needs of Peshmerga in a meeting on Monday.