BAGHDAD, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The prime minister of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq said Friday that the Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, are ready to cooperate with federal forces in the fight against terror.
"Peshmerga forces are now ready for all kinds of cooperation with Iraq's security forces and the international coalition to permanently eliminate the threat of terrorists in Iraq," said Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), during a ceremony commemorating the 2004 terror attack in Erbil that killed dozens of Kurdish politicians.
Barzani also asserted the importance of boosting ties with central government in Baghdad, and the need to settle unsolved problems between Baghdad and Kurdish region.
"There is a positive and good atmosphere between the KRG and the Iraqi federal government; fortunately there is a good understanding with Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that would help solve all problems between Erbil and Baghdad," Barzani said.
"Terror groups like Daesh (Islamic State) are exploiting the obstacles and problems between Baghdad and Erbil, thus it is important to strengthen joint cooperation between the two sides and solving the problems is seen by the regional government as a crucial issue," Barzani added.
On Feb. 1, 2004, two suicide bombers attacked the offices of the main two Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in regional capital Erbil, leaving more than 100 prominent politicians and Peshmerga members killed and more than 250 others injured.
The relations between Baghdad and Erbil witnessed tensions after the Kurds held a controversial referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan region and the disputed areas on Sept. 25 in 2017.
Baghdad government repeatedly expressed its stance that the Kurdish region must recognize Iraq's national sovereignty and abides by preserving its unity.
The independence of Kurdistan is opposed not only by the Iraqi central government, but also by other countries as it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and undermine the fight against IS militants, at the time the Iraqi forces were fighting to dislodge IS militants from their strongholds in Mosul and some other areas.
Iraq's neighboring countries, especially Turkey, Iran and Syria, fear that the Iraqi Kurds' pursuit of independence threatens their territorial integrity, as large Kurdish populations live in those countries.
