ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday hosted Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, the UK's Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa, to discuss security cooperation between Erbil, Baghdad, and London, ongoing efforts to unify the Kurdish Peshmerga as well as Iraqi efforts to curb arms proliferation.
President Barzani received Ahlgren “along with his accompanying delegation of military officials and advisers” where talks focused on “UK security and defense cooperation with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region” and “addressed the issue of bringing arms under the control of the Federal Government of Iraq, ongoing efforts to unify the Peshmerga forces, and the latest security developments in the region,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
The Kurdish leader "expressed his gratitude for the UK's continued support in providing military training and security advice to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region," the statement said, adding that he underlined "the importance of continued coordination and joint efforts to confront the remnants of [the Islamic State] ISIS and broader terrorist threats."
The meeting comes ahead of the scheduled departure of the forces of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS from Iraq by September-end. The UK’s peak footprint during the height of Iraq’s war on ISIS (2014 - 2017) was between 400 and 500 ground troops, but served as the second-largest air contributor to the Coalition behind the US, carrying out over 1,700 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria.
Baghdad has repeatedly stated that ending the Coalition's mission would pave the way for elevating security ties to partnerships with the alliance's member states.
Moreover, the UK is a key backer of the Kurdistan Region's ongoing efforts to unify its Peshmerga forces. Working directly with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga ministry alongside international partners - primarily the US, Germany, and the Netherlands - British military advisors provide assistance aimed at transforming the forces into a unified armed force.
The effort centers on integrating the Peshmerga's Unit 70 and Unit 80 - affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), respectively - into a single chain of command. Together, the two units comprise the majority of Peshmerga forces, totaling over 100,000 troops.
Ahlgren on Thursday reaffirmed his country's "dedication to its relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, emphasizing the importance of maintaining stability in the country," and "reiterated the UK's readiness to continue cooperation and strengthen its security and military partnership with both Baghdad and Erbil."
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