Senior Peshmerga, French military officials address coordination

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Staff Lieutenant General Issa Ozer, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Peshmerga, on Friday received General Pierre Schill, Chief of Staff of the French Army, and his accompanying delegation, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.

At the meeting, both sides discussed the coordination between the Ministry of Peshmerga and French Army advisors in the Kurdistan Region in relation to the ongoing fight against ISIS.

The Peshmerga chief thanked France for its continuous assistance, especially during the fight against ISIS, sending weapons and military supplies to the Peshmerga forces and assisting the Kurds with intelligence on the terror group.

Ozer also appreciated the role of France in working to stabilize the region.

Meanwhile, Schill expressed his gratitude to the senior officials of the Peshmerga Ministry for the warm welcome and praised the role of the Peshmerga in the fight against ISIS, adding that his country will continue to support the Peshmerga forces.

Erbil and Paris share close economic, cultural, and political ties. The two capitals are sister cities.

As an integral part of the US-led coalition against ISIS, France has provided the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces with training as well as air support in the Kurdish forces’ fight against the terror group between 2014 and 2017.

Earlier in July, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu visited the Kurdistan Region and met with Kurdish leadership, stressing cooperation on the lingering threat of ISIS.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq