Kurdish security chief: We hold hundreds of ISIS prisoners caught in battle, sleeper cells

MOUNT ZIRDIK, near Bashiqa--The head of Kurdistan Region's Security Council Masrour Barzani says that the visit of French President Francois Hollande to the region on Monday was highly important as it marked the pushing back and defeat of ISIS in the hands of Peshmerga forces.

"We thank the president of France," Barzani said in an exclusive interview with Rudaw on Monday. "This is the second time he visits Kurdistan. His first visit was when ISIS was close to the capital of the Kurdistan Region and now ISIS has faced defeat. So this is to thank the Peshmerga and honor their sacrifice, and the role they played in defeating ISIS and terrorists. These are a threat not only to this region, but to the whole word especially France which has been targeted by terrorists a number of times. They have been defeated by the Peshmerga and therefore this is to appreciate the Peshmerga and support Kurdistan."

The Kurdish security chief said that he could not reveal an exact number of ISIS prisoners held in the region for security reasons, but that "We have hundreds of prisoners whether those caught in battle or of sleeper cells or those who worked elsewhere or disguised among refugees. But we have a big number."

Barzani said that France has been standing on the side of the Kurdish Peshmerga since the starrt of the war with ISIS and he hoped it will assist the Kurds further in the future, especially when it comes to the question of independence a hundred years after the region was carved up in the Sykes-Picot agreement.

"They have helped militarily in terms of training of Peshmerga or providing weapons and ammunition and we hope these relations continue. Later, after this visit [to the frontline] there will be a meeting with the French president where they will discuss the type of relations and assistance." Barzani said.

He added: "France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has had a strong position historically and is one of those countries that had a part in drawing the borders in the Sykes-Picot agreement. We now hope they will help the Kurdish people more, not repeat the mistake they made a hundred years ago, but instead make up for it."