Joint security operation in Kirkuk to address border Gaps and enhance safety

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Avesta Sheikh Mohammed, the director of Qara Hanjir district in Kirkuk in northern Iraq, announced a joint security operation to comb the surrounding area.

“We launched a joint operation with Federal and Peshmerga forces to search for criminal gangs in the area. The district is secure, but there are overlapping regions between the forces,” Mohammed told Shafaq News Agency.

"There are security gaps along the border from the Hamrin Mountains to the edges of Laylan district that urgently need to be addressed to enhance security in Kirkuk and its border with the Kurdistan Region," he added.

Mohammed further pointed out that "the two Peshmerga brigades, affiliated with the Federal Ministry of Defense, will play a crucial role in securing the gaps between Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region’s border areas, including Erbil, Al-Sulaymaniyah, and Kirkuk, as well as the borders with neighboring governorates."

Notably, ISIS remains a persistent threat in Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic region in northern Iraq. Although the group lost territorial control in 2017, remnants continue to operate in rural and mountainous areas, targeting civilians and security forces. Kirkuk's disputed status between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government has created security gaps, which ISIS and other militants exploit to launch attacks and establish hideouts.