KRG Interior Minister, Coalition commander discuss War on ISIS

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Rebar Ahmed, the Interior Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), on Sunday received Brig. Gen. Michael Ecker, Commander of the Military Advisory Group of Operation Inherent Resolve.

The minister expressed his gratitude to the commander for assisting and training Peshmerga forces within the framework of US-led Coalition forces in combating ISIS.

He also stressed “the urgent need for more support and protection in the region.”

Received Brig. Gen. Michael Ecker, Commander of the Military Advisory Group of @CJTFOIR. Appreciated the group’s efforts in assisting and training #Peshmerga forces within the framework of US-led coalition forces in combating against #ISIS, and emphasized the urgent need for more… pic.twitter.com/m9nzidEqpB

— Rêber Ahmed (@RayberAhmed) January 21, 2024

The presence of Coalition forces in the country has been at the invitation of the Iraqi Government, the security consortium regularly says, adding that the protection of the forces is the responsibility of the country as the host state.

Although ISIS was eventually territorially defeated in Iraq and Syria in 2019, the terror group has survived and evolved into an insurgent group, launching sporadic hit-and-run attacks against Peshmerga, Iraqi and Syrian forces, in addition to civilian targets.

This contrasts sharply with when the terror group was at the height of its power, seizing advanced heavy weaponry and tanks from Western-backed Syrian rebels and the Iraqi Armed Forces. The group controlled a third of Iraq’s territorial landmass from 2014 to 2017.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq