Barzani, the Commander of Sector 6, said the process has stopped due to the issue of providing salaries for the 20th Peshmerga brigade and because of the appointment of a new minister of finance.

According to NRT he also stated Islamic State (ISIS) militant activity has increased in areas with a security gap between Kurdish and Iraqi forces.

Barzani said Peshmerga need approval from Joint Operations Command to conduct military operations in these areas and this delays operations, leading to difficulties in properly conducting the fight against ISIS.

Several joint brigades were decided to be formed as part of an agreement between Peshmerga and the Iraqi army to be deployed in disputed areas where a security vacuum exists that has left the areas vulnerable to attacks from ISIS on both civilians and security forces.

The 20th brigade (3,700 members) was formed last year to be deployed to the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad, while they have completed their training, they have not been deployed yet.

Reporter's code: 50101