ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday met with Kevin Leahy, commander of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, and discussed joint cooperation against jihadist remnants in the country.
“The meeting reviewed the overall security situation in the region and the ongoing cooperation between Iraqi security forces and Coalition advisors in pursuing the remnants of ISIS terrorist groups,” read a statement from Sudani’s office.
It added that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to eradicating terrorist cells and addressing the “levels of capability and control achieved by the Iraqi Armed Forces across all branches, particularly their advanced intelligence and preemptive capabilities, which support all security deployments and enhance the ability to counter any cross-border criminal or terrorist activity.”
Around 2,500 US troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS.
ISIS seized control of swathes of territory in northern and central Iraq in 2014. But their so-called caliphate was brought to an end in 2017 when Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, clawed back territory from the group.
Despite its territorial defeat, ISIS has continued to pose a security threat in Iraq through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions, particularly in the disputed territories that stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.
