ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday received Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) Chairman Falih al-Fayyadh and discussed the formation of Iraq’s next government and regional developments, with the Region having repeatedly come under attack by pro-Iran groups under the auspices of the PMC during the recent war.

Barzani received Fayyadh in Erbil, where they discussed recent developments in the region and Iraq, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The two sides spoke of “efforts to form the new federal government cabinet,” with the emphasis placed on the “importance of forming a government that is service-oriented, representative of all components of Iraq, and respectful of the constitutional framework and the rights of the people of Kurdistan,” the statement added.

The developments come as Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework on Monday officially selected businessman Ali al-Zaidi for the premiership during a meeting in Baghdad held at Fayyadh’s residence. 

The prime minister-designate must now present a cabinet to parliament within 30 days.

The PMC is the official overarching body of the state-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), under whose authority many of the Iran-aligned militias implicated in attacks on the Kurdistan Region lie.

The Kurdistan Region’s cities have been repeatedly targeted by strikes since the outbreak of the regional conflict, with attacks continuing despite a ceasefire agreement announced between the US and Iran on April 8th.

On Saturday, the KRG said the Kurdistan Region has been targeted in a total of 809 attacks since the beginning of the war under what it referred to as “unfounded pretexts.”

Ever after the US-Iran ceasefire came into effect in April, the Kurdistan Region has been targeted nearly 50 times by Iran and pro-Iran militias, the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) reported Friday, with Iraqi militias accounting for almost 25 percent of the attacks.

Kurdish authorities have continuously condemned the attacks launched by Iran and pro-Iran militias against the Region, while calling on Baghdad to control the “outlaw groups” and prevent the recurrence of strikes.

Earlier in April, Barzani said that Baghdad “knows very well” who the parties involved in the attacks on the Kurdistan Region are but has failed to confront them, while reaffirming that grievances have been sent to Iran.