Baghdad takes measures to protect oil facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Sabah al-Numan, declared on Sunday that Baghdad and Erbil had reached an agreement on strategies to defend oil firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan. Al-Numan said in a statement that Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali al-Zaidi, ordered the move, the state-run news agency (INA) reported. A delegation of senior military officials, headed by Chief of Staff of the Army Abdul-Amir Yarallah, met on Sunday with top officials of the Kurdistan region of Iraq to discuss joint coordination and the protection of important oil facilities. The two sides reached an agreement on broad strategies to secure oil operations and prevent further attacks, paving the way for the resumption of oil production and exports to stimulate the economy and support redevelopment. Following a drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimaniyah province in Iraq’s Kurdistan region in late November, the Iraqi cabinet proposed several measures to protect the field. The Iraqi Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said it will provide air defense equipment to secure the gas field, according to the proposed measures. The measures also include enhanced intelligence communication channels between federal intelligence services and their counterparts in Iraqi Kurdistan. Recent missile and drone strikes targeting energy facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan have increased as part of larger regional tensions, seriously impacting the region’s oil output and raising worries among multinational energy firms. The post Baghdad takes measures to protect oil facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan appeared first on Iraqi News.