Will Iraq Send Federal Forces to Protect the Kurdistan Region?

A member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee in Iraq, Deputy Ali Al-Bandraoui, announced today, Sunday, the existence of 300 km of "semi-loose" areas in the Kurdistan Region. Al-Bandraoui stated that "the Kurdistan Region is part of Iraq, and protecting the citizens and properties is a national responsibility because our concern for the region is the same as our concern for the southern and central areas and other parts of the country." He indicated that "cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil on the security file and securing the borders with Turkey is a strategic necessity and has been discussed several times in the House of Representatives," pointing out that "there are 300 km that are almost loose with Turkey that do not include any soldiers and have very complex terrain." Al-Bandraoui emphasized "the necessity of having an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil that allows the entry of joint federal forces to protect the region and secure the external borders to ensure the safety of citizens and their properties."