Baghdad and Erbil reach agreement on protecting Kurdistan oil facilities

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Baghdad and Erbil have reached an agreement on strategies to protect oil companies operating in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief said Sunday. Sabah al-Numan said Prime Minister and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Ali Zeydi ordered the step, according to the state-run INA news agency. A delegation of senior military officials led by Chief of Staff Abdul-Amir Yarallah met with senior Kurdistan Region officials on Sunday to discuss joint coordination and the protection of key oil facilities. The two sides agreed on broader strategies to secure oil operations and prevent attacks, paving the way for the resumption of production and exports. The move follows a drone attack late in November on the Hormur gas field in Sulaymaniyah, after which the Iraqi Council of Ministers proposed several measures to protect the site. The Ministry of Defense said it would provide air defense equipment in cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government to secure the field. The measures also include strengthening intelligence communication channels between federal intelligence units and their counterparts in Kurdistan. No further details on the implementation timeline were immediately available.