President Barzani receives Iraqi army chief in Erbil for security talks
Shafaq News- Erbil
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received a high-level federal military delegation in Erbil on Sunday, headed by Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah.
The two sides discussed mechanisms for strengthening joint security and military coordination between the federal forces and the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan Region's military force, a source at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense told Shafaq News. The talks are also set to cover the overall security situation in the country and the securing of areas of shared strategic concern, to pursue remnants of terrorist organizations and consolidate regional stability.
A previous round of talks in October 2025 focused on strengthening cooperation between the Iraqi Army and the Peshmerga, coordination with the international coalition ahead of the conclusion of its mission in September 2026, Iraq-US security relations, counterterrorism efforts, and border security. Yarallah, at the time, characterized cooperation between the army and the Peshmerga as the strongest it had ever been, praising the Kurdish forces' contribution to national security.
The security file between Baghdad and Erbil has seen tangible operational progress in recent months. In July 2025, Iraqi forces and Peshmerga launched a joint wide-scale security operation in the Qarachogh mountain range northwest of Kirkuk following reported movements by ISIS remnants, with the effort coordinated under joint operations command centers.
