Iraq-kurds talks stall over army command

Gunmen kidnap 20 would-be Iraqi soldiers

ARBIL, Iraq, Nov 30, (AFP): Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region said on Friday that talks on reducing tensions with the federal government have stalled over the contentious issue of a newly-established northern military command.

Talks between federal and Kurdish security officials reached an impasse over Baghdad’s refusal to scrap the Tigris Operations Command, which was “the basic requirement emphasised by the leadership of Kurdistan for normalising the situation,” a statement on the Kurdistan government’s website said.

The establishment of the federal Tigris Operations Command, which covers disputed territory in north Iraq, has drawn an angry response from Kurdish leaders who want to incorporate much of the area into their region.

Federal and Kurdish security officials held talks this week on reducing high tensions between the two sides in the country’s north, which has seen military reinforcements sent to disputed areas.

An Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement on Monday that the two sides agreed to continue with talks and on activating coordinating committees between their forces, and to work to calm the situation and look for mechanisms to withdraw military units mobilised during the increased tensions.

The spokesman, Colonel Dhia al-Wakil, then said on Tuesday that a draft accord was to be finalised on Wednesday and presented to a committee for approval.

But the two sides ultimately disagreed on the details, according to top Kurdish security official Jabbar Yawar, who said the federal government originally approved 12 out of 14 of Kurdistan’s demands, but later only agreed to three.

Meanwhile, gunmen kidnapped on Friday 20 men who were travelling from northern Iraq to Baghdad for medical tests needed to join the army, police and army officers said.

They were seized at Al-Amin restaurant near Baiji, a police lieutenant colonel said, adding that the kidnappers took them in eight vehicles toward Anbar province, which is home to various former insurgent strongholds.

A colonel from the army’s 4th Division, which is responsible for the area where the incident occurred, confirmed that 20 people were kidnapped near Baiji, but did not provide details.