ERBIL, Iraq
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s president, Masoud Barzani, met with U.S. Senator Jack Reed, who is ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Saturday, an official statement said.
According to the official statement, Barzani and the U.S. senator discussed the progress of the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and U.S.- led coalition support for Peshmerga forces.
During the visit, Barzani expressed his gratefulness to the U.S. senator and the American people for their support.
“Fighting the ISIL terrorists cannot be the responsibility of Kurdistan and members of the international coalition alone. Other countries must also step up their efforts and must help to stop the flow of ISIL fighters, and also to dry up their sources of funding,” Barzani said.
The statement reported that U.S. Senator Reed paid tribute to Barzani’s leadership and use of Peshmerga forces in pushing back ISIL.
He highlighted that the United States would continue to help Peshmerga forces by providing air support, training and weaponry.
“The people of the United States have a deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by the people of Kurdistan in confronting ISIS terrorists and for their generosity in providing refuge to many internally displaced people from other parts of Iraq,” the senator said.
Iraq has suffered a security vacuum since June last year, when ISIL stormed Mosul and declared what it called a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.
The secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said recently that at least 999 Peshmerga fighters were killed during ISIL's invasion of Mosul on June, 2014. The U.S. is leading an international coalition against the terrorist group and has carried out numerous airstrikes on it in Iraq and Syria.
