ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A US department of defense delegation on Wednesday signed the renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kurdistan Region’s ministry of Peshmerga, renewing US support for the Kurdish force in the fight against terrorism.
President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani delivered a speech highlighting the heroism of the Peshmerga in the fight against terrorism, thanking the US and its allies for supporting the Peshmerga in defending Kurdistan.
He also thanked Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces Mustafa al-Kadhimi for the cooperation between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army in fighting a common enemy.
The signing of the first MoU between the Peshmerga ministry and the Pentagon was first signed in 2016 under Kurdistan Democratic Party Leader Masoud Barzani, and has been extended several times since.
“I would like to reiterate the Kurdistan Region's gratitude for the support and assistance of the United States and our other friends in the reform process in the Ministry of Peshmerga and their efforts to reunite the Peshmerga,” President Barzani said during his speech.
Delighted to meet with Assistant Secretary of Defense Wallander and oversee the signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between US Department of Defense & Ministry of Peshmarga Affairs. We remain grateful for continued US support to KR & Iraq in the fight against terror. pic.twitter.com/7QwgFnJ5Wl
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) September 21, 2022
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani met with the US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of
Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, earlier today to discuss security reforms and the memorandum.
During the meeting, PM Barzani reiterated the Kurdistan Region's desire to promote comprehensive relations with the US, also thanking them for their support to the Peshmerga forces, especially during the country’s fight against terrorist attacks and ISIS terrorists.
“The United States continues to show its policy of supporting the Kurdistan Region and the Peshmerga by these high-level visits by these pentagon leaders,” Colonel Myles Caggins, former spokesperson for the anti-ISIS coalition, told Rudaw in an interview on Wednesday.
Washington has maintained a strong relationship with the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. The US has provided the Kurdish Peshmerga with several rounds of military aid over the years, namely in the fight against ISIS beginning in 2014. The coalition gave over 200 vehicles, including Humvees, water tankers and transport trucks to the Kurdish fighters in July and September.
The terror group was territorially defeated in 2017, but it remains a security threat, especially in areas where there is a security vacuum between Erbil and Baghdad.
The Peshmerga ministry announced in July of last year they were working on the formation of two joint brigades of Iraqi and Peshmerga forces to counter Islamic State remnants in the disputed areas, cooperating in order to reduce the threat of the group’s resurgence.
By Klawdia Martani
