“Army troops and Peshmerga forces carried out their first joint operation in the Al-Qaraj Mountain region,” Colonel Saad Tahseen of the Iraqi army’s 16th Division told Anadolu Agency.

As part of the operation, Tahseen said, joint forces had “inspected” the villages of Ali Rash, Qawran, Baradi and Suran.

According to the army officer, the operation is meant to restore confidence between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga following “disagreements” that soured relations between the two sides last year.

Following Kurdistan Region referendum on the independence of the region last September, Iraqi federal forces moved into the disputed parts of the country claimed by both the Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad.

Peshmerga fighters withdrew from all disputed territories following limited clashes with Iraqi security forces.

Reporter’s code: 50101