Iraq bracing to retake Peshmerga areas: Security agency

By Idris Okuducu

ERBIL, Iraq

Iraqi federal forces are gearing up to retake Peshmerga-held parts of northern Iraq, the Asayish, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)’s official security agency, asserted Monday.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the security agency said federal troops were amassing near Peshmerga-held positions in the region.

“Information gleaned over the last five days has shown that Iraqi forces -- including Federal Police and Hashd al-Shaabi fighters -- are poised to seize the strategic Al-Kuwayr-Dibis-Dibagah Road,” the statement read.

The agency went on to urge Baghdad to refrain from carrying out any “provocative acts”.

Iraqi officials, for their part, have yet to respond to the security service’s assertions.

In mid-October, following the KRG’s illegitimate poll on regional independence, government forces moved into several parts of Iraq “disputed” between Baghdad and the KRG, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province.