Masrour Barzani and Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Discuss Protecting Energy Infrastructure in Kurdistan Region

Peregraf — Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who also serves as Vice President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), met with a senior Iraqi military delegation led by Chief of the General Staff of the Iraqi Armed Forces General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah on Saturday, with discussions said to focus on protecting energy infrastructure, strengthening security coordination, and responding to recent attacks targeting oil facilities in the Kurdistan Region.

According to a statement by Barzani, Yarallah briefed Kurdish officials on the objectives of the delegation's visit, which Barzani said was undertaken at the direction of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to follow up on efforts to maintain security and stability in the Kurdistan Region.

A stated focus of the visit was the protection of oil companies and energy infrastructure that have come under repeated attacks in recent months.

"The Chief of Staff provided a briefing on the objectives of the military delegation's visit to the Kurdistan Region, which comes under the directives of the Federal Prime Minister to follow up on efforts to maintain security and stability, particularly protecting oil companies and putting an end to attacks targeting them," Barzani said in his statement.

The meeting comes amid a series of drone and missile attacks that have reportedly targeted oil fields and energy facilities in the Kurdistan Region. 

Barzani said he expressed gratitude to the Iraqi prime minister for his continued engagement and assurances regarding the security of the Kurdistan Region.

"We expressed our thanks and appreciation to the Federal Prime Minister for his follow-ups and assurances regarding the preservation of the Region's security and stability," he said.

Both sides also said they emphasized the importance of closer coordination between Iraq's armed forces and the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces.

According to Barzani, the meeting reaffirmed the need to strengthen cooperation and joint coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army to address what both sides described as common security threats and challenges.

The visit by Iraq's top military officer follows Baghdad's stated efforts to reassure both the KRG and international energy companies that additional measures are being taken to protect strategic facilities and prevent further attacks.