‘Historic partnership between Kurdistan Region and US continues’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter Islamic State (IS) said that the partnership between the Kurdistan Region and the US will continue after IS.

In an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24 on Saturday, Brett McGurk praised the role of the Peshmerga forces and shed light on the cooperation between the US and the Kurdistan.

McGurk who visited one of the hospitals treating the wounded Peshmerga fighters in Erbil said, “I came here to pay my respect for the brave heroes, the courageous Peshmerga fighters who are fighting on behalf of all of us against this barbaric enemy, Daesh [an Arabic name for IS].”

“What I saw inside this hospital is something I wish the whole world could see; Peshmerga heroes, son, fathers, recovering together... and right next to them, wounded from the Iraqi army and Iraqi Counter-terrorism forces,” McGurk added.

The Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi security forces are fighting IS together, McGurk said, adding that “This is the type of cooperation we need to defeat this barbaric terrorist organization.”

McGurk assured the people of the Kurdistan Region and the people of Iraq that the US is 100 percent supporting the forces fighting IS in the front lines and will help them prevail.

McGurk, who met with the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and the Kurdistan Region Security Council Chancellor Masrour Barzani on Saturday, said that the US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will visit the Kurdistan Region tomorrow [on Sunday], following his visit to Baghdad.

“Even after the war against IS is over, the historic partnership between our peoples will continue and endure,” McGurk told Kurdistan24.

He briefly spoke about the IS infiltration in Kirkuk and praised the "brave people" who rose up and defeated the invaders.

He added that "Mosul is going pretty according to the plan.

Asked about the increased US military assistance to the Peshmerga forces, McGurk said that “We are providing a lot of weapons; we have provided more airstrikes yesterday than we ever did before.”

"We are in this together," McGurk concluded.

Editing by Ava Homa

(Hawar Abdulrazaq and Bargash Akraiye conducted the interview)