World Bulletin/News Desk

Lawmakers in Iraq's Kurdistan region on Wednesday voted in favour of sending forces to the besieged Syrian town of Kobani via Turkey, MPs said.

Kurdistan's President Masoud Barzani sent a letter to parliament late on Tuesday seeking approval to deploy the region's peshmerga forces abroad, to fight alongside Syrian Kurds.

"Today in parliament we agreed to send the peshmerga forces to Kobani as soon as possible," MP Mahmoud Haji Omer said.

Two senior Kurdish officials said late on Tuesday that preparations were under way to send a small number of peshmerga to Kobani, but that it would take several days until the necessary arrangements were in place.

Iraqi Kurdish official Hemin Hawrami said on Twitter that the peshmerga would go equipped with heavy weapons.

According to the Iraqi Constitution, peshmerga forces are a part of the Iraqi defense system. However, they are not connected to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Peshmerga only act on the orders of President Barzani, spokesman of Iraqi Kurdistan region's Peshmerga Ministry Jabbar Yavar said last week.

“This issue is not clarified between Baghdad and Erbil government until now but we believe that the new Iraqi government will resolve this problem,” he also said.

The Kurdish majority border town of Kobani, which is under the control of the People’s Protection Units -- the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party -- has been the scene of fierce battles between Kurdish groups and ISIL since mid-September.

Ankara asks for a list of names

Ankara asked for the list of Peshmergas to pass through Erbil and if an agreement occurs then Peshmerga allowed to Kobani passing through Erbil, Turkish media reported.

The Iraq Kurdish Regional Government has chosen carefully the Peshmergas to get to the conflict zone. Ankara asked from Erbil for a complete list of Peshmergas want to get to Kobani. Turkey stipulate that Peshmerga can leave the zone only when they agree to carry back the arms and particularly the vehicles, which they will bring along themselves.

Ankara wants Peshmergas to leave Kobani as soon as possible after the operation ended and plans to set a three-month limit for the operation. Peshmergas will set back from the conflict zone as soon as possible after they get a grip on the city. But if the operation will prolong and the ISIL target the other Kurdish regions, then it would be continued up to 18 months. The Kurdish Regional Government, depending on this possible result, would increase the number of Peshmergas, the Turkish daily Yeni Safak reported.

Ankara will be informed about all Peshmergas' arm-stocks based on its stipulation on that the Peshmerga have to take back all the staff, arms and especially vehicles, except for military vehicles for health care. Ankara conveyed his concerns, about if arms fall the hands of PKK, to Erbil and Erbil government said it will take into account the sensitivities on the matter. 

If there are former members of PKK among the Peshmergas, they will not be allowed to pass through.