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Kurdistan Region Security Council
View on Wikipedia| ئەنجومەنی ئاسایشی هەرێمی کوردستان Encumena Asayişa Herêma Kurdistanê | |
 | |
| Governmental organization overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 2, 2011 |
| Preceding Governmental organization |
|
| Type | Governmental agency |
| Jurisdiction | Kurdistan Region, Iraq |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq |
| Governmental organization executive |
|
| Parent department | Kurdistan Region Presidency |
| Child Governmental organization | |
| Website | krsc.gov.krd |
The Kurdistan Region Security Council (Kurdish: Encumena Asayîşa Herêma Kurdistanê, ئەنجومەنی ئاسایشی هەرێمی کوردستان) or KRSC is a high-level national security council in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
History
[edit]It was created in 1992, but was formally established on 2 May 2011 pursuant to Law 4 of 2011 passed by the Kurdistan Parliament. The body is responsible for inter alia a unified security policy and coordination between security services, military intelligence and existing intelligence agencies.[1]
Chancellor appointment
[edit]The council is part of the region's presidency and is headed by a chancellor appointed by the president of the Kurdistan Region. In July 2012 Masrour Barzani, former head of the Kurdistan Region Security Protection Agency and leading member of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, was appointed as Chancellor by Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani.[2]
Counter Terrorism Department
[edit]The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is a hybrid special forces unit and investigative agency within the KRSC responsible for analyzing and combating domestic and international terrorism. It shares its intelligence with KRSC members, in particular the Chancellor, to support counter-terrorism efforts and "protect the interests of the Kurdistan Region".[3]
War on ISIL
[edit]In wake of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant offensive against the Kurdistan Region in August 2014, KRSC has been coordinating international coalition airstrikes against ISIL positions.[4] In April and May it announced the arrest of several individuals connected to a car bomb attack near the US Consulate General in Erbil by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.[5]
Operation Free Sinjar
[edit]The battle for Sinjar, code-named Operation Free Sinjar, was a large offensive supervised by the President of the Kurdistan Region in November 2015. The operation included over 7,500 Peshmerga, backed by international coalition warplanes, against ISIL positions in and around Sinjar.
Before beginning their attack, Peshmerga forces were positioned in three strategic fronts North, East and West of Mount Sinjar to sever Highway 47, a strategic ISIL supply route to move supplies between Iraq and Syria. According to Kurdish authorities, the objectives were also to cordon off the area by creating a buffer zone South of Sinjar and to then enter and clear the city.
Coalition warplanes began pounding ISIL positions at 2100hrs on 11 November ahead of a ground offensive at 0600hrs on 12 November. Having achieved all three strategic objectives, the operation concluded at approximately 1500hrs on 13 November. The Kurdistan Region Security Council announced more than 28 villages were retaken in an area measuring over 200 square kilometers, and 300 ISIL fighters were killed throughout battle.[6]
Media coverage
[edit]The Kurdistan Region Security Council announced that more than 40 local, regional and international media outlets were invited and embedded with Peshmerga units across the fronts in preparation for this offensive.[7]
A hash tag, #FreeSinjar, was preplanned as part of the operation to generate global traction and overshadow the ISIL narrative on social media.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "ياساى ذمارة (4) ى سالَى 2011 ياساى ئةجنومةنى ئاسايشى هةريَنى كوردستان ـ عيَراق" [Law No. 4 of the Security Council of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq] (PDF). www.perlemanikurdistan.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ "President Barzani Inaugurates the Security Council of the Kurdistan Region". www.presidency.krd. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "What is Kurdistan CT?". CTD via Facebook. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "Iraq's Kurds praise U.S. support, want more against ISIS". CBS News. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Kurds arrest five over bombing outside U.S. consulate in Erbil". Reuters. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Operation Free Sinjar began". Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Operation Free Sinjar concluded – KRSC statement". Retrieved 18 October 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Kurdish Forces Launch Offensive To Take Back Key Iraqi Town Of Sinjar From ISIS". BuzzFeed. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2017.