WATCH: UK Foreign Minister commends the role of Peshmerga in defeating IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – British Secretary of State Boris Johnson on Thursday praised the role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

“It was my honor a few years ago, as you may remember, to go out to Kurdistan to see the role of the Peshmerga in helping to defeat Da’esh /ISIL,” Johnson told Kurdistan 24 in New York.

“I thank the Peshmerga for what they did and continuing to do,” he said.

The Peshmerga have been labeled as one of the most effective ground troops in defeating IS. According to the Peshmerga Ministry, since 2014, over 1,700 Peshmerga fell while fighting the jihadist group, and 12,000 more were wounded.

In January 2015, Johnson, then-Mayor of London, visited the Kurdistan Region and accompanied Peshmerga on the front lines.

“We have a mutual interest in not only the Kurdistan Region's security and prosperity, but that of Iraq as a whole,” Johnson said during his visit to Erbil in 2015. “Over the last decade, Kurdistan region has seen considerable economic growth and social development, and I'm here to mark London's role as an active ally in this.”

"The links between Britain and the Kurdistan region are developing at an incredible pace, there is a dynamic and forward-looking leadership here, and I am looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and discussing greater co-operation on a range of issues," he added.

The Kurdistan Region has scheduled a referendum on independence on Sep. 25, a move for which the UK has expressed its opposition along with many other countries around the world.

“The referendum risks increasing instability in the region when the focus should be on defeating Da’esh,” stated a Foreign Office spokesperson, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

While Kurdish officials expect its allies to support the democratic and peaceful process to be held in the Kurdistan Region, they have assured the vote will not affect the fight against the jihadist group, stating that IS is the 'enemy of all humanity.'

Editing by G.H. Renaud