President Barzani received Major General Joel B. Vowell, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, and his accompanying delegation as well as several other military officials and diplomats.
The two discussed the recent drone strikes against coalition bases in Erbil and “emphasized the importance of safeguarding the Coalition Forces and diplomatic representatives in Iraq,” according to a statement from the presidency.
The meeting comes amid increasing pressure on the Iraqi federal government to expel the coalition troops after an American drone strike targeted the government-linked Popular Mobilization Forces’ (PMF) Harakat al-Nujaba in Baghdad on Thursday, killing two.
Harakat al-Nujaba is an Iran-aligned militia and is one of the groups accused by Washington of carrying out the recent drone attacks that have struck American interests in Iraq and Syria.
A day after the deadly strike, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said that the government is working to establish a committee to end the presence of the international coalition in the country.
The statement from the presidency did not mention the Kurdistan Region’s stance on the calls for expulsion, but noted that Barzani and Vowell “agreed that Iraq’s stability is crucial for the entire region and that no room should be given for the resurgence of terrorism.”
Coalition bases in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil have been the target of multiple attacks of the Iran-aligned militias. Erbil has repeatedly called on Baghdad to pursue the perpetrators, stressing that protecting the Region’s security is essential to maintaining stability in Iraq.
American interests in Iraq and Syria have been the target of a spate of drone and rocket attacks by pro-Iran militias since October 17, condemning Washington’s unwavering support for Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip.
Around 2,500 American 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, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019. Though the group no longer holds territory, it remains a security threat, carrying out deadly attacks on security forces and civilians on both sides of the border.
