Kurdistan
Kurdish and coalition officials met in Erbil on June 28, 2022. Photo: Office of the President
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and a number of Kurdish political and military officials received a top delegation from the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Erbil on Tuesday, discussing the ongoing reform process in the Peshmerga forces, according to a tweet from Barzani.
President Barzani said in his tweet that he and Kurdish military and security officials discussed Peshmerga reforms, which began in recent years, with Major General John Brennan, Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), and his delegation.
“I reiterated my full support to expedite efforts to build a modern, strong and unified Peshmerga force,” added Barzani who is also the commander-in-chief of armed forces.
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also attended the meeting. Peshmega’s 70th Command is affiliated to the PUK and the 80th Command is affiliated to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). A number of units from both commands have joined the Peshmerga ministry in recent years in the framework of the reforms - which are overseen by the coalition.
Brennan stressed that the “US will continue supporting the Peshmerga so that they are organised under the Peshmerga ministry and as one command and made a national force that is strong and capable of operating its duties,” according to a statement from the Office of the President.
The US-led coalition was formed in 2014 to combat ISIS which had controlled swathes of Syrian and Iraqi land but was territorially defeated in both countries by 2019. The coalition has supported Peshmerga in the fight against ISIS, trained them and equipped them with weapons. The US also pays the salaries of two Peshmerga brigades.
President Barzani said in his tweet that he and Kurdish military and security officials discussed Peshmerga reforms, which began in recent years, with Major General John Brennan, Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), and his delegation.
“I reiterated my full support to expedite efforts to build a modern, strong and unified Peshmerga force,” added Barzani who is also the commander-in-chief of armed forces.
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also attended the meeting. Peshmega’s 70th Command is affiliated to the PUK and the 80th Command is affiliated to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). A number of units from both commands have joined the Peshmerga ministry in recent years in the framework of the reforms - which are overseen by the coalition.
Brennan stressed that the “US will continue supporting the Peshmerga so that they are organised under the Peshmerga ministry and as one command and made a national force that is strong and capable of operating its duties,” according to a statement from the Office of the President.
The US-led coalition was formed in 2014 to combat ISIS which had controlled swathes of Syrian and Iraqi land but was territorially defeated in both countries by 2019. The coalition has supported Peshmerga in the fight against ISIS, trained them and equipped them with weapons. The US also pays the salaries of two Peshmerga brigades.
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