Peshmerga Official Says ‘Close to Sign a Deal with Baghdad’

[gregp]

Time to smoke some Turkey.  

 

Thanks Thug.  

[DinarThug]

LINK

Ludarian: Iraq and the Kurdistan region are in an exceptional situation

 

17th July, 2020

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that Iraq and the Kurdistan region are in an exceptional situation.

He pointed out during his meeting with the president of the region, "the importance of cooperation in combating terrorism and ISIS, and that in the coming days, France will deliver aid to Halabja as part of medical aid that Barbus will provide to Kurdistan in the face of Corona."

[DinarThug]

LINK

Masroor Barzani: We have not asked for anything that opposes the constitution and rejects anything less than our rights

 

17th July, 2020

The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, said during his meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Laudrian today, Friday, that the region refuses to obtain less than its constitutional rights to solve the differences and outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad.

In the meeting, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the latest developments in Iraq and the region in general were discussed, in addition to discussing ways to strengthen historical relations between the Kurdistan Region and France, according to a statement issued by the region's government.

The French Foreign Minister stated that his visit comes to renew his country's support for the Kurdistan Region, especially in light of the current difficult circumstances. He said: "France is ready to support the Kurdistan Region with French experts, especially in the agricultural field, as well as to overcome the current economic crisis."

During the meeting, the French Foreign Minister extended an invitation to the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government to visit France at the appropriate time and to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

For his part, the prime minister and his deputy highlighted the results of discussions with the federal government and the relentless endeavors to solve the outstanding problems between the two sides. Masroor Barzani indicated that the international community, especially France, can play a positive role in bringing the regional government and the federal government closer to resolving problems under the constitution. The Prime Minister said: "We did not ask for anything that contradicts the Iraqi constitution, and we reject anything less than our constitutional rights."

[DinarThug]

LINK

Kurdish lawmaker: Port revenue should be exclusively at the Baghdad treasury

 

 

18:56 - 07/18/2020

 

On Saturday, the deputy of the Kurdistan Islamic Group, Ahmad Hama Rashid, called on the central government to exercise its constitutional responsibility to control all border crossings, including those in the Kurdistan region.

Rashid said to the "information" that "the management of border crossings is within the joint powers between the region and the central government in Baghdad," stressing that "the financial policy in the outlets is one of the exclusive responsibilities of Baghdad."

He stressed the need for "the revenues of all the border outlets to be in the state treasury, and then the wealth will be distributed among the governorates according to Article 106 of the Iraqi constitution."

[DinarThug]

LINK

Warnings of "genocide" implemented by Turkey against the Kurds in Iraq and Syria

 

19th July, 2020

"Genocide", a description released by a report published by the "opendemocracy" on what is happening to the Kurds in northern Syria and Iraq due to Turkish military operations.

The report revealed that the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pursues a policy of eliminating those he thinks are anti-Ankara forces in order to build a vocal Turkish national identity.

The author of the report says that awareness has formed in Turkey for a long time, rejecting the societies and forces that constitute an obstacle to building the Turkish identity. Zia Kok Alp, a prominent national sociologist Tri, had claimed that the idea of reviving the Turkish state really required the elimination of its non-Muslim elements. In reference to the Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews.

The author of the report adds that Erdogan's regime, which consists of an Islamic extremist alliance, is working to preserve the heritage of Turkish origins to eliminate what is seen as the "treacherous" forces of the Turkish identity.

The report refers to the operations of the "Olive Branch", "Falcon's Claw" and "Turkish Tiger Claw", which started in early January 2018 under various pretexts, but the common denominator among them is that the majority of those who are attacked and killed are civilian victims, specifically Kurds, Whether in Afrin, northern Syria, or Kobani, the latest attacks were targeting Kurds in northern Iraq, which also killed Yazid civilians in the Sinjar area.

According to the report, Turkey aims to liquidate Kurdish political activists and journalists, as happened with the Secretary-General of the Future Syria Party, Hefrin Khalaf, whose stories differ about her liquidation between detonating her car or intercepting her vehicle and killing her and her companions in October 2019 as it passes the international road linking Aleppo to Qamishli. These operations call Ankara the term "neutralization," according to the report.

Although no party has claimed responsibility for what happened to the activist Khalaf, the fingers were pointing towards Ankara and the militias that support it in the Syrian north, especially as it was critical of Turkish intervention in Syria.

The report notes that the prisoners of Kurdish origin are the most numerous among the political detainees in Turkey. Ankara also imprisoned every journalist or politician in the country who expressed sympathy for the Kurds.  Erdogan overthrew Kurdish mayors in the southern provinces.

The report says that Turkey is exploiting instability in neighboring countries to achieve its goals, by attacking everything that is Kurdish in northern Iraq and Syria, not to mention its support for many militias that intimidate, displace, kill and rape in a number of villages, especially in northern Syria. Ankara justifies its attacks and is trying to legitimize it, by targeting the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, but its attacks also affect civilians.

The PKK launched a separatist revolt in Turkey in 1984 and the conflict between the Turkish authorities and Kurdish fighters has caused more than 40,000 deaths, including a large number of civilians.

In October 2019, Turkey seized the opportunity of Washington announcing its intention to withdraw its forces from areas in northern Syria, to launch a new operation against the Kurds, as it took control of a new border strip along the 120 km between the cities of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain. 

On June 17, Turkey launched Operation "Tiger Claw" against PKK fighters who have bases and training camps in Iraqi Kurdistan in several areas on the Iraqi-Turkish border, starting from the town of Zakho passing through the Zab region in the Amadiya district in northern Dohuk, all the way to northern Erbil In the regions of Bradost and Khawarkk and the foot of Qandil Mountain, located between the provinces of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Although the Iraqi authorities protested, Ankara continued its attacks there, with several civilians killed. The Turkish attacks coincided with other attacks carried out by Iranian forces in Iraqi territory, which Baghdad considered an attack on the sovereignty of the Iraqi state.

This is not the first time that Turkey has launched attacks against the PKK inside Iraqi territory. It carried out a ground attack in 2007, and another two years ago, during which it was able to install permanent points inside Iraqi territory, 30 kilometers deep.

[DinarThug]

Iranian Foreign Minister arrives in Erbil

 

19th July, 2020

Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, arrived today, Sunday, in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, from Baghdad.

Zarif was taken to Erbil International Airport by Jafar Sheikh Mustafa, the region's vice president.

Earlier on Sunday, Zarif started an official visit to Iraq, during which he met Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, the Republic Barham Salih, and Parliament Muhammad al-Halbousi.

In the Kurdistan Region, he will also meet President Nigerian Barzani, Prime Minister Masroor Barzani and Democratic Party President Masoud Barzani.

This is the first visit of an Iranian official to Iraq since Al-Kazemi took office as prime minister last April.

[Mary B]

Sunday, July 19, 2020 5:30 PM

 

British "Daily Mail" reveals details of a secret operation carried out by a special sniper squad in Iraq against ISIS

 

 

 

British newspaper, "Daily Mail", that British Special Forces snipers "SAS" members of the terrorist organization ISIS in the mountain caves in northern Iraq, killing at least 100 terrorists in a "secret war" aimed at eliminating them.

SAS tracked ISIS operatives, including the British, from their hideouts in remote highlands, and then targeted them with sniper rifles, artillery and precision air strikes launched from "RAF Typhoon" and "UK Reaper" drones.

Sources at the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that there have been at least ten battles in northern Iraq in the past three months, and some covert operations in neighboring Syria.

She noted that many British ISIS members were killed in these battles, after many of them escaped from prisons and returned to the organization, and took refuge in a rugged area in northern Iraq, where ISIS uses a network of caves and tunnels.

The attack began on April 10, when British ground forces, accompanied by Kurdish soldiers, forced ISIS members to take refuge in a building before summoning SAS forces from Cyprus accompanied by drones.

An exciting night battle ensued between SAS and ISIS on April 28, during which at least ten terrorists were killed, as Special Forces soldiers found terrorists hiding in caves in the Hamrin Mountains, and once again, the RAF was called in to provide firepower to storm the caves, and was dumped Paveway IV laser-guided bombs hit six caves before SAS and Kurdish forces cleared the entire region.

The April attacks followed five battles in May, as the British Air Force launched drones, as a major battle took place and renewed over the following days, and continued sporadically in June as well.

A source at the Ministry of Defense said: "The bombing of the British Royal Air Force was very accurate without causing civilian casualties and certainly there were British ISIS among the dead. They were identified during the battle in intercepting communications and then from ID cards and through DNA," adding: "It is necessary Does ISIS not gain a foothold in the region again? "

According to official Ministry of Defense numbers, the British Royal Air Force dropped munitions on ISIS bases on 8, 10, 13, 23 and 31 May, and launched GBU-12 guided bombs, Paveway IV missiles and Hellfire missiles.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: "The use of British Royal Air Force planes and Reaper planes to deliver successful strikes against terrorists and their hideouts indicate that the UK defense never sleeps and we will always do what is necessary to protect our people."

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/ar/Story/198831/ديلي-ميل-البريطانية-تكشف-تفاصيل-عملية-سرية-نفذتها-فرقة-خاصة-من-القناصة-في-العراق-ضد-داعش

[DinarThug]

LINK

Kurdistan Warns Its Citizens Against Buying The Iranian Currency

 

19th July, 2020

The Sulaymaniyah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Kurdistan Region considered that dealing with the Iranian tuman for business is "natural" because the trade with Iran takes place through it.

Chamber president Sirwan Muhammad said in a statement that "citizens are now buying the Iranian toman with the aim of reaping profits", pointing out that "they store it to sell it later at a higher price and this is an incorrect action and it is likely to cause them losses because it is more like gambling and they are free to buy" Saying it.

He pointed out that "citizens can buy a small amount of tuman enough to travel or according to the need and conditions of their daily lives."

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Toman is witnessing an unprecedented collapse for days, as it sells 100 US dollars for two million and 500,000 Iranian tomans.

[6ly410]

 

[DoD]

17 hours ago, DinarThug said:

LINK

Kurdistan Warns Its Citizens Against Buying The Iranian Currency

 

 Can you imagine normal an sane people actually buying a nearly worthless currency with the hopes of selling it back for a profit...me either. 

[Mary B]

Peshmerga reveals details of the talks with the joint operations and the fate of Kirkuk

 Peshmerga reveals details of the talks with the joint operations and the fate of Kirkuk

 Today, 14:29

Gilgamesh Press / Follow-up 
 

Today, Monday, the Ministry of Peshmerga announced details of the ongoing discussions with Iraqi joint operations.

"The meeting was positive, and we discussed the issue of coordination, common points, and military operations against ISIS," Lieutenant-General Jamal Imenki, chief of staff of the Peshmerga, said in press statements.

On the return of the Peshmerga to Kirkuk and the conflict areas, Eminke said, "The discussions are still continuing and not finished. These issues will be discussed in the upcoming meetings."

On Monday, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced that it will cooperate with the Peshmerga forces to counter ISIS.

This came in conjunction with military talks between the two sides in Erbil, attended by the international coalition. 

"To confront ISIS, we need all the forces," Yahya Rasul, a spokesman for the operations, Yahya Rasoul, told reporters in Arbil, including a reporter of Shafaq News.

He added, ISIS is taking advantage of the security vacuum in the region to carry out its operations, and for this it is necessary to fill this security vacuum with cooperation between our forces and the Peshmerga forces.

The joint operations had said that its meeting with the Peshmerga was discussing enhancing cooperation and coordination in the field of combating terrorism, closing the gaps that exist between the opening line of the sectors and finding a mechanism for the work of the joint coordination centers, as well as joint security operations in areas of common security interest. 

A delegation of joint operations arrived Monday morning in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region, to hold talks with the Peshmerga Ministry regarding the security of conflict areas between Baghdad and the region, and to counter ISIS activity there.

 

https://glgamesh.com/147267--.html

[6ly410]

 

[6ly410]

 

[DinarThug]

7 minutes ago, 6ly410 said:

 

Ok - This Thread Is Now Over 2 Weeks Old And Is Starting To Smell Like Other Bro’s Dirty Socks !  

 

 

Go Start Us A New Kurdish Thread So That Pitcher And I Can Hijack That One Also With Funny Pictures And Stuff...

 

     

[Mary B]

Newspaper: Barzani is preparing to send 10 thousand elements of the Peshmerga trained by America to Syria

09:11 - 7/21/2020

 

  

The information / Baghdad ..

Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed newspaper revealed an agreement between the Syrian globular forces opposing the redeployment of 10,000 peshmerga elements from the Kurdistan region of Iraq towards Syria, indicating that the forces that will reach Syria are trained by the US-led international coalition.

The newspaper quoted Kurdish sources as saying that the Syrian Peshmerga forces, which were established in late 2012, include Kurdish Syrians, either they were soldiers in the army of the regime and defected from it, or young men who were wanted to serve in this army, so they chose to go to the Kurdistan region of Iraq and joined the Peshmerga camps in the region .

The sources pointed out that the Syrian peshmerga "belongs to the leadership of the region, specifically the Kurdistan Democratic Party," adding that "the Kurdish National Council has good relations with the leadership of the region, so formally and informally, the Syrian peshmerga is part of this council."

The sources considered that “any political deal that can take place between the Kurdish National Council and the Democratic Union Party must include the return of the Peshmerga, because the Council will not have any political influence without a military arm, and this raises the concerns of the Democratic Union, which wants to exclusively decide in the north The east from Syria. ”

The sources pointed out that the "Kurdish National Council" is affiliated with the Syrian National Coalition, so the entry of the Syrian Peshmerga forces means that the Syrian opposition has become a partner in the decision in the northeast of Syria, and this is what the Democratic Union fears. On the number of members of the Syrian Peshmerga, she explained, "They are several thousand, and perhaps between seven and ten thousand, in addition to thousands of others as a reserve." The sources pointed out that the leadership of the Kurdistan region of Iraq "provided all support to the Syrian peshmerga in terms of training and camps, and in return, these beautiful Syrian Kurds responded to the Iraqi Kurds by confronting ISIS alongside the Iraqi peshmerga, which achieved a great victory over the organization that threatened the Kurdistan region in a way direct".

The sources pointed out that the Syrian peshmerga have "good" relations with the international coalition, which has trained some times, which has earned them important combat experience. "The Syrian peshmerga also have a social incubator inside Syria, especially among the Arab component, and they consider themselves Syrians first, and they have no relationship with projects related to the so-called Kurdistan as they are the Kurdish units that are a Syrian extension of the PKK. From here, the Democratic Union fears that the Syrian peshmerga will enter the east of the Euphrates. ”25 Dr. Ends

 

https://www.almaalomah.com/2020/07/21/485998/

[Mary B]

Al-Salihi: We will not compromise on accepting the re-deployment of the Peshmerga in Kirkuk

12:42 - 7/21/2020

 

  

Information / Baghdad ..
The head of the Turkmen Front, MP Arshad Al-Salhi, on Tuesday rejected the federal government's initiation of talks to reposition the forces of the region in the mixed areas, stating that the federal military forces are able to protect citizens from any terrorist attack.
Al-Salihi said in a statement to "Information" that "the Turkmen and Arab forces combined do not differ at all on not returning the Peshmerga forces to the province of Kirkuk and will not compromise on this issue."
He added that "returning the Peshmerga to Kirkuk means returning the city to Square One, especially with the upcoming parliamentary and local elections in the city."
Al-Salhi said that "the federal forces are able to preserve the city of Kirkuk and we reject the region's interference in the province's affairs, especially the security and administrative affairs of the union."
The Joint Operations Command held a meeting yesterday with the Ministry of Peshmerga in Erbil to discuss filling the security gaps in mixed areas and redeploying the Peshmerga forces. Ended in / 25D

 

https://www.almaalomah.com/2020/07/21/486046/

[Mary B]

The army and the Peshmerga reach an agreement sponsored by the international coalition

 

 

The army and the Peshmerga reach an agreement sponsored by the international coalition

 

Shafaq News / Member of the House of Representatives for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Bashar Al-Kiki, revealed on Wednesday that the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga reached an agreement sponsored by the US-led international coalition to contain the threat of ISIS in the disputed areas.

The two sides have been holding talks for weeks to find a common working formula aimed at filling the security vacuum in the disputed areas after the increasing frequency of ISIS attacks.

Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, hosted the last round of talks on Tuesday in the presence of a high-level delegation from the International Alliance.

"The discussions of the defense and peshmerga ministries achieved positive security results to solve outstanding problems, close fragile security gaps and end ISIS presence in the disputed areas, as well as coordinate security operations," al-Kiki told Shafaq News.

He added that the talks "resulted in an agreement to form 4 security coordination offices between the two parties, one in Nineveh and the rest in the other provinces." 

The Peshmerga forces withdrew from the disputed areas after the escalation of tension with the Iraqi forces against the backdrop of the independence referendum in 2017.

The withdrawal came three years after the Peshmerga spread in those areas, as Kurdish forces prevented them from falling into the hands of ISIS after the Iraqi army fled to the advance of the organization's militants in 2014.

Prior to that, the area was jointly managed security, as the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil.

Since the Peshmerga withdrawal from there, the frequency of attacks has increased markedly, as the organization's militants launch bloody attacks on civilian and military targets, leaving victims.

Concerning the details of the agreement and the tasks of the coordination offices, Al-Kiki explained that "the coordination offices will determine the security responsibilities between the army and the Peshmerga, provided that no force enters into the departments of the responsibilities of the other party without prior information and coordination."

Al-Kiki considered that "coordination offices are an important step to end the security unrest in the disputed areas."

He pointed out that the issue of the deployment of the Peshmerga forces in the disputed areas is related to a security issue, not a political one.

Still, Baghdad and Erbil have been discussing since last April to resolve the outstanding differences between them for many years, foremost among which is the region's share of the federal budget and the management of oil wealth.

 

https://www.shafaaq.com/ar/كوردســتانيات/الجيش-والبيشمركة-يتوصلان-لاتفاق-برعاية-التحالف-الدولي/

[6ly410]

ERBIL, BAGHDAD STILL AT ODDS OVER TERMS AND SIZE OF BUDGET AGREEMENT: KRG OFFICIAL

 

3 Hours ago https://www.nrttv.com/En/News.aspx?id=22714&MapID=1

 

SULAIMANI — A member of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) negotiating delegation said on Thursday (July 23) that Erbil has stated clearly its readiness to enter into an agreement with Baghdad to resolve the ongoing budget dispute, but that the two sides were still at odds over what kind of financial package the Region will receive.

“The [KRG] is ready for any agreement to provide salaries,” the member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NRT reporter Omed Muhammed.

“They [KRG and Baghdad] only have problems on the amount of money which Baghdad transfers to the [Kurdistan] Region,” the member added.

On July 13, KRG Representative in Baghdad Faris Isa said that it was not clear when a negotiating delegation from Erbil would return to the Iraqi capital for further talks, but added that talks were continuing.

(NRT Digital Media)

[dinarham]

This is all about the oil and gas law,the money . They're hammering it out .

[Mary B]

A day after being targeted by missiles ... the international coalition hands over a new location to Iraqi forces

 

International Alliance Forces

Photo: Archive

 

1 hour ago

 

Digital Media NRT

On Saturday morning, the international coalition forces left the "Basamia" base near Baghdad, and handed over their positions to the Iraqi security forces.

In a statement today, July 25, 2020, the Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force of the International Alliance, Major General Gerald Strickland, stated that "The Joint Task Force - Operation Solid Resolve" has handed over its position in Camp Bsmaya to the Iraqi Security Forces thanks to the successes achieved by the Iraqi Security Forces in the campaign against ISIS.

He explained that the international coalition is working to refocus its positions inside Iraq, pointing out that "these military moves were planned long ago in coordination with the government of Iraq." 

The statement added that "the international coalition is transferring the seventh site that it was occupying this year to the Iraqi security forces, as part of an ongoing partnership between Iraqi security forces and the international coalition against ISIS," praising the crucial role of Iraqi forces in liberating Mosul three years ago.

This comes a day after the security media cell announced that targeting the Basmaya camp with four "Katyusha" missiles without causing casualties, and the Basmaya camp includes a number of Spanish and American forces within the international coalition against ISIS.

It is noteworthy that the Joint Operations Command had previously reported that the international coalition intends to hand over its location in Bismaya Camp to the Iraqi forces.

 

https://www.nrttv.com/Ar/News.aspx?id=29524&MapID=2

[Mary B]

As a prelude to joint coordination with the Peshmerga, the Iraqi army is spreading between Diyala and Kurdistan

 

 

2020-07-25 09:54

 

 

 

Shafaq News / A security source said in Diyala today, Saturday, to complete the deployments of the Iraqi army units within the Diyala-Kalar borders, in preparation for the formation of the joint coordination office with the Peshmerga Ministry.

 

 The Kurdistan Democratic Party MP Bashar Kiki earlier revealed to Shafaq News, an agreement between the defense and peshmerga ministries to open four joint coordination offices in the disputed areas sponsored and supervised by the international coalition .

The source said to Shafaq News, "The army forces have deployed within the limits of their responsibilities in Diyala Governorate to close the voids and secure the vacant areas between Diyala from the north of Jalawla with the Kalar district ."

 

The source stressed that "the talks between the army and the Peshmerga are continuing to put the final touches on the joint coordination office and identify the sectors of security responsibilities between the two parties and cut off the infiltration routes between Diyala and Kurdistan, which caused the escalation of terrorist attacks in recent years."

 

The boundaries between Diyala and Kurdistan since 2017 after the October events and the Kurdistan Independence Referendum are witnessing continuous terrorist operations that were not witnessed before the past years .

The Peshmerga withdrawal from the Diyala regions left vast security vacuums that turned into havens and launching grounds for terrorist operations against villages, residential towns and security sectors .

https://shafaaq.com/ar/أمـن/تمهيداً-للتنسيق-المشترك-مع-البيشمركة-الجيش-العراقي-ينتشر-بين-ديالى-وكوردستان

[horsesoldier]

A Barney Fife moment. ( for those who recall the Andy Griffith TV show ).

 

Not making light of a serious situation, just injecting a bit O fun into the pic - so lets not whip the Horse.