MINISTRY OF PESHMERGA : NO WITHDRAWAL

Shafaaq com – 9.2.2013 – ERBIL-Hewlêr – Ministry of Peshmerga in Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) confirmed on Saturday, that no military force that has been brought recently to the Kurdish areas outside Kurdistan region (disputed areas) withdraw from their positions, while explained that the date of the next meeting with a delegation of the Ministry of Defense was not specify until now.

Press reports of members of the parliamentary security and defense committee have indicated that several military units of the Ministry of defense have been withdrawn, which have been brought to the disputed areas during the crisis erupted between Erbil and Baghdad on the background of Dijla of Operations Command formation.

The secretary general of the Ministry of Peshmerga, lieutenant general, Jabbar Yawar said, that “we did not withdraw any military forces from army and Peshmerga”, In reference to the forces that were bought by both of the parties on the background of Tuz Khurmatu district crisis.Yawar added that “the situation in the disputed areas is still the same,” he confirmed,” a date of the next meeting of the Supreme Coordinating Committee between Peshmerga and the Ministry of Defense was not determined until now.”

The previous meeting was held late last month between Peshmerga and defense delegations did not reach an agreement on the location of joint security stations and the withdrawal of additional troops from the area. The difference between Peshmerga and defense delegations is focused on two key points, the first how to determine the locations of joint security stations and installing them and the second is the mechanism withdrawal of additional troops to the parties of joint action areas. Tuz Khurmatu, on November 16, 2012, Two people were killed and 10 others wounded in clashes between Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Iraqi Tigris (Dijla) Operations Command TOC troops.  The Dijla Operations Command was introduced by the central government in June to be the main command of the security and police in Kirkuk, Diyala and Salahaddin – disputed territories that both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) lay claim to.