Baghdad-Erbil progress fuels hope for counter-insurgency fight
The formation of two joint brigades highlights improving cooperation that could help combat IS militants and close security gaps.
Lt. Gen. Qasim Mohammed al-Mohammadi, commander of federal Iraqi ground forces, receives progress updates on two newly formed joint brigades while visiting command centers in Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala provinces on Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo credit: Ministry of Defense)
SULAIMANIYA/ERBIL - Iraq is making slow but significant progress in a years-long initiative to close security gaps that are currently being exploited by insurgents, including remnants of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The federal government and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have formed and trained two joint brigades, and have begun suverying sites for future bases in a band of territory along Kurdistan's disputed southern border, according to several security and political officials involved in the efforts. An officer serving in the area said that a patrol of one brigade was targeted by an IS roadside bomb in mid-September, while scouting out a potential base site, resulting in one injury.
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