Committee to be established for Iraq and Kurdistan Region border crossings
The Head of the Iraqi Security Information Office, Seed Meen, announced that a 17-point strategic security agreement had been reached between the Kurdistan Region administration and the Iraqi government.
It was reported that representatives of the security institutions in Hewlêr (Erbil) and Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah), as well as the head of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service, the head of the Iraqi Border Crossings Authority, and the Chief of Staff of the Peshmerga, were present at the high-level security meeting where the agreement was concluded.
Meen said: “The agreement was reached both to strengthen security in areas of common interest between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Iraqi government, and to increase coordination to prevent remnants of terrorist groups and smugglers from exploiting any geographical gaps.”
Meen added that a committee chaired by the head of the Iraqi Border Crossings Authority had been established, adding that the committee would conduct a comprehensive review of border crossings in the Kurdistan Region and work to close unofficial border crossings.
Emphasizing that Iraq now has influence in the region and that the structure of the Peshmerga forces has been preserved, Seed Meen underlined that the agreement would, at this point, strengthen the role of the Border Guard Forces along the Iraq-Turkey line, with the support of the Peshmerga forces.