ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Kurdish President Masoud Barzani on Saturday discussed the new US administration’s support for the Kurds, the fight against ISIS and Peshmerga victories against the militants. Barzani’s office said in a statement that in the phone conversation Pence reaffirmed that US President-elect Donald Trump would support the Kurdish nation and its Peshmerga forces during his leadership. Pence also spoke about his visit to the Kurdistan Region and his knowledge of the Peshmerga’s role in fighting ISIS. Barzani congratulated Pence and Trump on the victory in the November elections in the United States, the statement said. The Kurdish president also thanked the president elect for his support for the Kurdish nation during his election campaigns. Barzani told Pence that the Kurdish nation has endured much suffering in the past and expressed hope that the Trump administration would look with consideration upon calls for Kurdish rights. Meanwhile Brett McGurk, the top US envoy in the fight against ISIS, tweeted his arrival in the Kurdish capital on Saturday, following talks in Baghdad. “Just arrived in #Erbil after consults in #Baghdad w/US military & diplomatic officials, Iraqi PM, President, Speaker, other key leaders,” he said in a tweet.
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