A Peshmerga brigadier, who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media, told NRT that military officials had reached a deal that would go into effect in two weeks.

The Peshmerga forces will take up positions from Khanaqin to Sinjar and Mosul in order to increase security in areas where Islamic State (IS) is active, the commander said.

Iraqi forces retook the disputed areas from Kurdish forces in mid-October 2017 in the wake of the independence referendum. Since then, IS militants have exploited a security vacuum in the space between Iraqi and Kurdish units, especially in Kirkuk and Diyala provinces.

On Sunday, one Iraqi policeman was killed and another was wounded in clashes between Iraqi forces and IS militants in Khanaqin.

Three other Iraqi policemen were killed and six others, including three members of the Kurdish security forces, were wounded in Khanaqin and Kirkuk between January 20 and 29.

Reporter’s code: 50101