Baghdad rejects military movements near Kurdistan borders

Shafaq News – Garmian
On Friday, the Iraqi Security Media Cell denied reports claiming there were military movements by Iraqi army units, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Peshmerga forces in the border areas between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region.
In a statement posted on X, the Security Media Cell affirmed that the disputed territories are managed under a unified command and joint coordination between Baghdad and Erbil, noting that communication between federal and Kurdish forces is being maintained through joint coordination centers and high-level military leadership.
خلية الإعلام الامني تنفي اخبارا مزعومة متداولة إعلاميا عن تحركات عسكرية غير اعتيادية في مناطق الاهتمام المشترك =====================تداولت بعض وسائل الإعلام ومنصات التواصل الاجتماعي خبرا مزعوما مفاده "تحركات لقطعات من الجيش العراقي وهيئة الحشد الشعبي او البيشمركة في مناطق…
— خلية الإعلام الأمني🇮🇶 (@SecMedCell) July 4, 2025
Earlier, a security source told Shafaq News that Peshmerga forces under the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) declared a state of emergency in Garmian, which lies within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as Iraqi troops mobilized nearby.
Garmiyan is a region in southern Iraqi Kurdistan. Once a rural agricultural area, it gained strategic importance due to its proximity to Kirkuk and the Iranian border. During the 1980s, it was a key base for Kurdish resistance and suffered heavily during Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaign.