PM Barzani asks for 'further US support' in phone call with Secretary Blinken
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani asked for more US support to the autonomous region in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday.
The two officials discussed the missile attack against Erbil the day earlier.
Spoke with Iraqi Kurdistan Region PM @masrour_barzani yesterday to show support for the Kurdistan Region and condemn the recent Iranian attack that violated Iraq’s sovereignty. We discussed Kurdish unity and the need to form a government that protects Iraqis and their territory.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 14, 2022
Both condemned the ballistic missile attack against Erbil the previous day. That attack significantly damaged residential areas and the Kurdistan 24 main headquarters building.
Barzan and Blinken also agreed the attack was an "evident violation of Iraqi sovereignty," according to a statement from the Kurdish prime minister's office.
Prime Minister Barzani emphasized the importance of combating the "propaganda" that has been intentionally spread in recent years "as a pretext to attack Erbil sporadically", the statement added.
Claiming responsibility for the attacks, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted a "strategic Zionist center" in the Kurdish capital, an allegation the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) immediately denied on Sunday.
"Iran has repeated these attacks many times, and the silence of the international community in the face of these cowardly attacks will pave the way for their continuation," the KRG said in a statement, in which it called for Iraqi and international investigation into the matters.
Barzani said he "appreciated" the US condemning the attack. He asked for "further US support" to the Kurdistan region.
The attacks drew regional and international condemnations from the Kurdistan Region's allies.
Barzani on Sunday paid a visit to the attack sites as well as the main office of Kurdistan 24, where he extended his appreciation for the hard work of its journalists as they continued their coverage and work despite substantial physical damage to their offices caused by the missile aftershocks.