Politics

KRG Interior Minister Meets with U.S. Counterterrorism Officials

Ahmed’s busy schedule was topped off by late afternoon meetings at the State Department, focused on the fight against ISIS.

Laurie Mylroie 2023/06/13 09:18

Chris Landberg and Rebar Ahmed at the State Dept, June 12, 2023 (Photo: Bayan Sami Rahman/Twitter)

USA USA Rebar Ahmed Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman Chris Landberg Ethan Goldrich

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – The first day of the visit of Rebar Ahmed, Interior Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), to Washington was packed with meetings at the Pentagon, USAID, and the State Department.

Ahmed is the first senior KRG minister to visit Washington since the formation of the new Iraqi government last October, and his schedule in the U.S. capital was quite full.

But his schedule on Monday was topped off by late afternoon meetings that had not been previously announced at the State Department with two senior officials, whose work focuses on the fight against ISIS.

The first of those meetings was with Chris Landberg, the Acting Counter Terrorism Coordinator at the State Department and the Acting U.S. Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

KRG Minister @RayberAhmed met with Chris Landberg, @StateDeptCT Acting Coordinator and Acting U.S. Special Envoy for the Global @coalition to Defeat ISIS. The Minister thanked the United States for its support to the peshmerga in the defeat of ISIS and the continuing partnership… pic.twitter.com/guCaPizNeo
— Bayan Sami Rahman (@BayanRahman) June 12, 2023

As Bayan Abdul Rahman, the KRG envoy to Washington, tweeted, “The Minister thanked the United States for its support to the Peshmerga in the defeat of ISIS and the continuing partnership today.”

“They discussed Al-Hol camp and other security challenges facing Iraq, Syria and Coalition partners,” she explained.

The Minister then met with Ethan Goldrich, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant and Syria Engagement.

“They discussed the need for the repatriation of ISIS terrorists and families to their home countries and the humanitarian situation in northeast Syria,” Abdul Rahman tweeted.

To round off his first day of meetings in DC, Minister @RayberAhmed met with @EthanGoldrich, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant and Syria engagement at @StateDept_NEA. They discussed the need for the repatriation of ISIS terrorists and families to their home countries and the… pic.twitter.com/KvENN8JI95
— Bayan Sami Rahman (@BayanRahman) June 13, 2023

“Both sides agreed,” she added, “that our partnership remains strong and crucial.”