Increased coordination between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces crucial to the fight against ISIS: PM Barzani to Coalition

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday received the US Acting Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS John Godfrey to discuss and help coordinate the ongoing fight against the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.

Godfrey “expressed his concern about the development of ISIS terrorist threats in separate parts of Iraq and Syria, and stressed the need to continue support for the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army to address these threats and achieve stability in the region,” read a statement released by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The envoy also indicated that a special meeting of the Coalition is scheduled for next week in the Italian capital of Rome.

Barzani thanked the Coalition for its support for Peshmerga forces and indicated that the activation of the joint security coordination centers between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army is an important step to deter ISIS threats.

In late May, Iraqi Joint Operations Command stated that it would establish a joint security coordination center between the army and the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga in Kirkuk.

Read More: Peshmerga and Iraqi army to establish joint coordination center in Kirkuk after success in Diyala

The joint endeavor was the first conducted after the establishment of security cooperation centers in the areas, which have become hotbeds for ISIS activity following the group's 2017 territorial defeat in Iraq.

Read More: Peshmerga and Iraqi army begin joint monitoring of ISIS in disputed territories

Editing by John J. Catherine