KDP President Masoud Barzani, top Coalition commander discuss lingering terror threats

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani on Tuesday received Maj. Gen. Joel B. Vowell, a commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Erbil’s Pirmam District.

Both sides discussed the latest developments and the threat of terrorism in Iraq, Syria, and the region in general, particularly the resurgent attacks by ISIS to begin the new year.

Additionally, the meeting focused on continued coordination between Coalition, Peshmerga, and Iraqi forces, as well as the continued work of Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria to prevent the threat of terrorism and maintain stability and security.

US Consul General Erbil Mark Stroh also attended the meeting.

The presence of the Coalition forces in the country has been at the invitation of the Iraqi government, the security consortium regularly says, adding the protection of the forces is the responsibility of the country as the host state. 

Although ISIS was eventually territorially defeated in Iraq and Syria in 2019, the terror group has survived and evolved into an insurgent group, launching sporadic hit-and-run attacks against Peshmerga, Iraqi and Syrian forces, in addition to civilian targets. 

This contrasts sharply with when the terror group was at the height of its power, seizing advanced heavy weaponry and tanks from Western-backed Syrian rebels and the Iraqi Armed Forces. The group controlled a third of Iraq’s territorial landmass from 2014 to 2017.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq