Today, at the graduation ceremony of the Zakho Military College, the Kurdistan Region president Nechirvan Barzani, said that the threat of ISIS still remains, and its attacks have increased, especially in the disputed territories between the Iraqi and the Peshmerga forces. The area serves as a base for the terrorists, the president told the attendants, and called for the immediate deployment of two joint brigades of the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces.

He urged the international coalition against IS and the Iraqi federal government to provide more assistance and training to the Peshmerga, and deliver equipment and advanced weapons, because now the support of the Peshmerga is more necessary than ever, the president argued.

Regarding the interference in the affairs of Peshmerga forces, Nechirvan Barzani said that party interference in the Peshmerga forces must end, because meddling makes the Peshmerga forces constantly threatened during party and political conflicts, a serious threat to the democratic process.

Kurdistan Region president as the commander-in-chief of the Peshmerga forces reaffirmed his support for the efforts of the Peshmerga Ministry to unite the Peshmerga forces divided between PUK-led 70 forces and KDP-led 80 forces.

Earlier this week, the president attended graduation ceremony of peshmerga officers at Qalachwalan Military Academy in Sulaimani, raising similar concerns about constant threats on the existence of the Kurdistan Region.