LONDON – The British government said Sunday it is sending a military envoy to Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, saying it is “stepping up efforts” to help defeat the armies of the Islamic State (IS/formerly ISIS or ISIL).
A spokesperson from the British prime minister’s office said that Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall was going to Kurdistan as the “Government Security Envoy.”
It said part of his task would be to help Kurdish and Iraqi efforts to form a “unity” government.
“He will travel to Iraq next week to meet with political leaders in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil as part of our ongoing work to encourage all Iraqi communities to unite together against the common enemy that is ISIL,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“General Mayall’s extensive experience of the region means he will be able to draw on a broad range of existing relationships across Iraq, the region and with close allies,” it added.
Efforts to form a new inclusive government by Iraq’s Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish politicians have run into a new hurdle, after the Sunni bloc pulled out of talks following attacks since Friday that are being blamed on Shiite militias.
In the past weeks several European countries have stepped up efforts to help bolster Iraqi and Kurdish forces in their fight against the militants.
France, Germany, Italy and even tiny Albania have said they have sent arms for the Peshmerga.
The Islamic State militants have seized large parts of territory in northern Iraq since June, declaring a Caliphate and urging Muslims to join them. The fighting has caused thousands of deaths, and has left 1.5 million displaced.
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