Peshmerga Minister attributes mobilization of Peshmerga forces to Maliki’s threats

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Minister of Peshmerga in Kurdistan Region, Jaafar Mustafa, while meeting with, General Officer Robert L. Caslen, the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq (OSC-I), that the Peshmerga forces will never initiate a fighting with the Iraqi Army under Dijla Operations Command.

A statement by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan received by IraqiNews.com, quoted Mustafa, as saying “The mobilizations of Peshmerga forces were due to the threats made by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the military commanders to force the Kurdish party’s headquarters out of Tuz Khormato and disarm them, asserting that they will never start firing with the Iraqi Army.”

“The Peshmerga forces mobilizations to the disputed areas were out of Maliki and other Army commander’s threats to disarm the Peshmerga forces in Tuz Khormato [Salahaddin],” he added,” noting that “The Peshmerga intended to secure the area where Peshmerga was mobilized to.”

“A large number of the mobilized forces were then withdrawn as there were promises to address the issue through dialogue,” he pointed out.

On November 16, there was a clash between Federal police under Dijla Operations Command and Peshmerga forces in the district of Tuz Khormato, Salahaddin, killing a civilian and injuring dozen armed forces.

Earlier, Maliki warned the Peshmerga forces from changing their position or clashing with any military forces.