UK defense head in Baghdad to discuss anti-Daesh fight

BAGHDAD

U.K. Defense Minister Michael Fallon arrived in Baghdad on Monday morning to discuss the ongoing fight against Daesh and Iraq’s precarious political situation with Iraqi officials.

“Iraqi Interior Minister Qassem al-Araji received the British defense minister at Baghdad’s international airport this morning,” an Iraqi Foreign Ministry source told Anadolu Agency.

“Fallon will meet with Iraqi defense and interior ministry officials to discuss the ongoing fight against Daesh,” the source, who spoke anonymously as he was not authorized to speak to media, said.

In his discussions with Iraqi officials, Fallon is also expected to express his country’s opposition to an upcoming referendum on Kurdish regional independence.

Slated for Sept. 25, the non-binding referendum will see residents of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region vote on whether or not to declare independence from Iraq.

Baghdad, for its part, firmly rejects the planned poll, saying it will adversely affect the fight against Daesh, which still maintains a significant presence in northern Iraq despite a string of recent military defeats.

Turkey also opposes the planned referendum, insisting that the region’s stability depends on the maintenance of Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity.

And last week, Washington, too, reiterated an earlier request that the Kurdish Regional Government defer the controversial poll to a later date.

Fallon’s visit to Iraq is his second in less than a year. He also visited Baghdad in February where he held talks with Iraqi officials.

The U.K. is a member of a U.S.-led international coalition drawn up to fight Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Reporting by Ali Jawad; Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg