ERBIL, Iraq
Masoud Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, met with Iraqi Vice President Usama al-Nujayfi, and his brother Atheel al-Nujaifi, the governor of Mosul, on Friday in Erbil.
The visit by the vice president and the Mosul governor comes amid reports over a plan to retake Mosul from Daesh, the Arabic acronym of the Islamic State for Iraq and the Levant, which is also known as ISIL.
A statement was published on the Kurdish government’s website about the official visit which was closed to media.
The plan to retake Mosul from Daesh, which includes enhancing the role of Kurdish peshmerga forces, was discussed as well as solving the economic crisis, according to the statement.
PM Barzani, stressed the importance of cooperation between the Iraqi army and the peshmerga forces to free Daesh-controlled areas. Also, the Iraqi president congratulated Barzani about the recent success of peshmerga against Daesh and wished for victory in Mosul.
Iraqi troops and Kurdish peshmerga forces are fighting against Daesh, supported by a U.S.-led coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against the extremist group for five months.
The capture of Mosul in June 2014 was ISIL's breakout move to seize large swathes of land across Iraq and Syria.
