IRAQ HALTS MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST KURDISH FIGHTERS

ISOF soldiers captured in Mosul, Northern Iraq, Western Asia. 16 November, 2016.

Sourced : The Wall Street Journal

By Isabel Coles and Ali Nabhan

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered his forces to halt an advance against Kurdish fighters for 24 hours on Friday after clashes between the two U.S. allies in the war against Islamic State raised fears of a new conflict in the north of the country.

The aim was “to avoid confrontation and bloodshed among sons of one country,” he said.

The statement from Mr. Abadi’s office said the pause in hostilities would allow time for a coordinated redeployment of Iraqi forces in disputed areas controlled by Kurds, including border crossings.

Kurdish officials didn’t respond to requests for comment on whether such an agreement had been reached. It would amount to their surrendering the last disputed territories under their control to the central government in Baghdad.

The Kurdish government representative in Washington, D.C., declined to comment on the matter.

Read more at : https://www.wsj.com/articles/iraq-halts-military-operations-against-kurdish-fighters-1509119936

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