Three Killed in Clash Over Strategic Military Post Between Iraqi Military and Kurdish Peshmerga

Clash over control of vacated Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) posts in strategic Makhmour district increases tension between Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga; seven others wounded as high-level committee forms to investigate incident.

• The clash between the Iraqi military and the Kurdish Peshmerga resulted in 3 deaths over a dispute for control of a strategic military post, previously vacated by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants.
• The military posts are located in the strategic Makhmour district, bordering Erbil and Nineveh, and are a subject of dispute as the Peshmerga claim the mountain that the posts are located on has historically represented the dividing line between them and the Iraqi security forces.
• The PKK militants had held these positions since 2014, during the global war against the Islamic State group, and announced their withdrawal on Thursday, citing the declining threat of this extremist group.
• This clash further denotes the tension in a fragile alliance between the semi-autonomous Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi military within federal Iraq, leading to the formation of a high-level committee by Iraq’s prime minister to investigate the incident.
• The situation in the Makhmour area remains delicate as both sides are reported to be sending reinforcements, reflecting the ongoing volatility of relations between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government.

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