US envoy, Peshmerga minister discuss importance of maintaining ‘strong Coalition presence’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The US envoy to Erbil and the Kurdistan Region’s minister of Peshmerga on Thursday discussed the importance of maintaining a “strong Coalition presence” to assist and advise the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces in the fight against terrorism, according to a US Consulate General social media post.

Consul General Mark Stroh on early Thursday met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shorish Ismael in Erbil, where they discussed the ongoing reform program at the ministry as well as the presence of US-led Coalition against ISIS.

“We discussed the importance of maintaining a strong Coalition presence to advise, assist, and enable Peshmerga and ISF Forces to ensure the enduring defeat of Da’esh (The Arabic acronym for ISIS),” the US Consulate General wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Enjoyed meeting MOPA Minister Shoresh to congratulate him on his return & discuss ongoing MOPA reform progress. We discussed importance of maintaining a strong Coalition presence to advise, assist, and enable Peshmerga and ISF Forces to ensure the enduring defeat of Da’esh. pic.twitter.com/oOVgIBVVrI

— U.S. Consulate General Erbil (@USCGERBIL) January 11, 2024

The US diplomat also congratulated Minister Ismael on his return to the ministry and discussed the ongoing reform at the ministry aimed at unifying and modernizing the Kurdish forces.

In a meeting on Tuesday with Maj. Gen. Joel B. Vowell, Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani reiterated the importance of maintaining the mission of the international troops to support the Iraqi army and Peshmerga in combating terrorism and maintaining overall security and stability.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani has recently announced that his government is working towards ending the Coalition’s mission, which had supported the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces in defeating ISIS in a three-year battle through airstrikes, training, and armament.

The call for withdrawing the Coalition forces came after the Iraqi government had recently accused the international troops of a deadly drone strike last week on an Iranian-backed militia in the center of Baghdad, killing a top commander along his associates.

The Coalition forces since November last year have come under repeated drone attacks launched by the Iranian-backed militia forces in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon has announced around 120 such attacks following the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.