Kadhimi traveled to Erbil on Wednesday, December 8, and met with senior regional officials and military commanders, and visited operational areas and areas recently attacked by the ISIS.

Maj. Gen. Jamal Eminki, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Peshmerga, said that Peshmerga officials had met with Kadhimi and asked him to provide equipment for the Peshmerga forces, especially thermal cameras, and that he had promised to provide the budget for the equipment for the Kurdish forces.

Sirwan Barzani, the commander of the Peshmerga forces in the Makhmour region, told Rudaw about the meeting between the Peshmerga commanders and Kadhimi that the important issue for the Peshmerga was to work to eliminate the militants from the security vacuum in the disputed areas, which could be done with coordination between Peshmerga and the Iraqi army.

He added that Kadhimi stressed that discrimination between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army would also be eliminated.

Kadhimi, accompanied by a high-level military delegation, arrived at Erbil International Airport and was received by Barzani.

Earlier on Wednesday, the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said in a statement that Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army launched joint operations against ISIS in Garmaser and Qaratapa axes.

The ministry said the operations are in the framework of the agreements reached earlier between the KRG and the federal government.

Kadhimi and Barzani discussed the latest developments in Iraq after the October general election, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement.

Both sides stressed the importance of stability, economic development and the solution to the suspended issues between Erbil and Baghdad, the statement read.

They also discussed the recent attacks carried out by ISIS militants in the disputed territories and the importance of intensifying efforts and strengthening coordination between Iraqi and Kurdish forces, according to the KRG.

The premier’s visit came after ISIS militants carried out several attacks against the Peshmerga forces and civilians in the disputed territories in the past 10 days.

Twenty-two members of the Peshmerga forces and three civilians were killed in the attacks, according to authorities.

Kurdish officials have long blamed a lack of coordination along a stretch of territory claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil for ISIS’ continued ability to wage deadly attacks.

Islamic State controlled roughly a third of Iraq between 2014 and 2017. Iraqi forces and Kurdish troops backed by U.S.-led Coalition forces and as well as Iran-backed Shia militias defeated the militant group in 2017, but its members still roam areas of northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.

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