ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Baghdad and Erbil have agreed to coordinate press coverage for the upcoming Mosul offensive by issuing joint statements from two media centres that will be opened in Erbil and Qayyara.

Representatives from both governments attended a first meeting that was “successful, especially regarding uniting the discourse on launching the operation to retake Mosul,” said Saad Ma’an, spokesperson for the Iraqi interior ministry.

“We have full confidence that the liberation process will start, but how to unite and have one discourse is important,” he added, stressing that high-level collaboration was crucial.

The meeting was attended by the media committees of the security agencies of both Baghdad and Erbil governments, an advisor from the Peshmerga ministry, and representatives from Baghdad’s interior, defense, national security, anti-terror, war media departments, Ma’an confirmed.

They agreed to establish two joint media centres, one in Erbil and one in Qayyara, and to form a joint media committee that will “publish statements on the battle for the liberation of Mosul and Nineveh province in general.”

A second meeting will be held to plan further, including “important strategy in retaking Mosul,” Ma’an revealed.

On Monday, Erbil, Baghdad, and Washington reached an accord concerning cooperation between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army in the battle for Mosul during a tripartite meeting hosted by the Kurdish president.

“Defeating ISIS [Islamic State] in Mosul was reiterated and deemed as a common objective of all the parties fighting the group. It was also discussed that there has to be cooperation between the Peshmerga, the Iraqi army and US-led coalition,” reads a statement issued by President Masoud Barzani’s office.

On Monday, Barzani led a three-way meeting in which high-ranking army officials attended. The US delegation consisted of Douglas A. Silliman, the US ambassador to Iraq, General Stephen J. Townsend, commander of the US forces in Iraq, and Ken Gross, the US consul in Erbil. The Baghdad team was comprised of Abul Amir Zaidi, deputy chief of staff of the Iraqi army, and a number of army officials.

“Details of the offensive were discussed and the attendants of the meeting agreed on mechanisms of cooperation between the three forces,” reads the statement.



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