U.S.-Led Coalition against ISIS Hails Extended Cooperation with Peshmerga
After two meetings with the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, the anti-ISIS Coalition tweeted its long-term support for the Kurdish forces.

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – The Global Coalition against ISIS issued a tweet on Thursday that underscored its long-term commitment to working with the Peshmerga.
The tweet followed two meetings in Erbil between the Coalition and the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
On Monday, senior figures from the anti-ISIS Coalition and the Peshmerga Ministry met to discuss procedures for establishing a robust logistic system for the Peshmerga Forces.
Read More: Peshmerga Ministry, Coalition forces discuss enhancing logistics system
The following day, the two parties met for the monthly evaluation of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Peshmerga Ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Read More: Peshmerga Ministry, Coalition forces discuss Memorandum of Understanding
The MOU was first signed in 2016. On Thursday, the Coalition tweeted, “Under a 2016-2026 memorandum the @coalition has invested over one billion US dollars to arm and train Peshmerga forces against Daesh [ISIS.]”
“It also supports the integration of various units into a unified force under the Ministry of Peshmerga, as part of its #AdviseEnableAssist mission,” the tweet continued.
The Biden administration ended the U.S. combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, as it shifted the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq to advise, enable, and assist, as the Coalition tweet indicates.
Under a 2016-2026 memorandum, the @coalition has invested over one billion US dollars to arm and train Peshmerga forces against Daesh. It also supports the integration of various units into a unified force under the Ministry of Peshmerga, as part of its #AdviseEnableAssist… pic.twitter.com/6cVE1ghPQO
— The Global Coalition (@coalition) June 27, 2024
In its defense budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year, the Biden administration proposed earmarking $528 million for the training and arming of Peshmerga, Iraqi forces, and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), all three of which are involved in the fight against ISIS.
Read More: US proposes $849.8B defense budget with $528M for Peshmerga, Allies
The 2025 defense budget was just approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, The bill now moves to the Senate for its approval, and then President Joe Biden must sign it, after which it will become law.
Although ISIS is not the threat it once was, it remains a danger, and the U.S. intends to keep it in check.
According to U.N. estimates, ISIS retains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
Read More: A decade after the Islamic State group declared a caliphate, it's defeated but remains lethal
Most recently, Iraqi authorities uncovered an ISIS plot to poison Baghdad’s water supply.
Read More: Iraqi media reports reveal alleged ISIS plot to poison Baghdad’s water supply
As one Pentagon consultant told Kurdistan 24, it would not be easy to do that, because the water supply to a city involves a huge volume, and it would, similarly, require an enormous amount of poison to have any effect. Thus, it is a logistical improbability.
But this expert did stress that weapons of mass destruction, particularly chemical and biological, can be used to kill large numbers of people in acts of terrorism.
He noted the anthrax letters that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington. If that material were distributed more widely–like dumped into a subway system–it could have killed many more people than died on 9/11 itself.
He expressed his doubts that the Bush administration had really answered the key question of responsibility. He did not believe that a U.S. scientist, without access to specialized equipment, could have made the highly lethal material, as the FBI claimed. But the matter was never really resolved.
The FBI first named one scientist, Stephen Hatfill, as a suspect. Although Hatfill vehemently declared his innocence, he was harassed by the media and lost his job.
Hatfill later filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department, which agreed to pay him $5.8 million in damages.
In the meanwhile, the FBI publicly fingered another scientist, Bruce Ivins, as their suspect. However, Ivins committed suicide, before any legal proceedings could begin.