Kurdistan official denies sending Kurdish forces to Diala Province

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: The Official Spokesman and the Secretary-General of northern Iraq Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry, Jabbar Yawar, has denied sending Kurdish Peshmerga forces to Jalawla and Saadiya townships in Diala Province, charging the Iraqi Army with having sent 2 battalions to those areas, considering the step as violation of the agreements, concluded between both sides.   “If Peshmerga forces were sent to the said areas, nobody could hide that out, because we would announce it openly,” Maj-General Yawar told IraqiNews.com news agency on Monday.   Yawar said that “the Iraqi Army had sent 2 battalions of its 5th Division to Saadiya, thing that is considered a violation for the agreements concluded between both sides,” pointing out that the said agreements assure that Peshmerga forces must be sent to those areas.   Noteworthy is that Kurdish media sources had reported on Monday that Peshmerga forces were sent to Jalawla and Saadiya townships of Diala Province, being areas of conflict between Baghdad and Arbil.   SKH (TI)/SR 652