Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched Operation Promise of Good in July to target Shiite and al-Qaida elements in Diyala province. The Kurdish Peshmerga forces had deployed to Kurdish areas and opposed the presence of Iraqi troops there.

Elements of the Iraqi Constitution permit regional security forces, though the designations of certain areas in Iraq are disputed.

Mala Bakhtiyar, a representative of the Kurdish delegation, told reporters in the northern Diyala city of Khanaqin that both sides have agreed to withdraw their forces from the area in the coming days, the media division of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party said.

Bakhtiyar also said the delegations agreed to set up a joint committee to assess any security issues that may emerge in the future.

Earlier reports on the Iraqi television network al-Sumaria said Peshmerga forces would remain in Khanaqin and other Kurdish areas of the province.

Mohsin al-Saadun with the Kurdistan alliance said the negotiations had focused on coordinating the Iraqi troop presence in the region should the situation destabilize, while Omar al-Jibouri, an independent, said the Peshmerga were operating outside of their jurisdiction.

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