US continues military assistance for Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces

Head of the US Central Command Gen. Votel praised the good cooperation and collaboration between Peshmerga and US soldiers and advisers, stating that Washington will continue its military assistance for the Kurdish forces.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – In a meeting with officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday, a high-level United States delegation reiterated its support for the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces.

A statement released on the KRG’s website said Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani had received the head of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel, and an accompanying military and diplomatic delegation in Erbil.

KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, other senior Kurdish officials, and Peshmerga commanders also attended the meeting, the statement said.

During the gathering, Prime Minister Barzani thanked the US for its continued support and military assistance to the Peshmerga in the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

He also said Kurdistan was grateful for the provision of training, weapons, and ammunition for the Kurdish forces, adding he hoped the US military assistance would continue.

“The Prime Minister expressed the KRG’s readiness to resolve stranded issues with the Iraqi government on the basis of the constitution,” the statement read

On his part, Gen. Votel praised “the good cooperation and collaboration between Peshmerga and US soldiers and advisers,” stating that Washington will continue its military assistance for the Kurdish forces.

He expressed his sanctification and support for the dialogue that has already started between Erbil and Baghdad whose relations deteriorated following Kurdistan’s independence referendum last year.

According to the statement, the Kurdish and American delegations also discussed the war on terror in Iraq and Syria where both sides agreed that defeating terror cannot be maintained through military means alone but requires eliminating terrorists’ ideology.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany