The President of the Kurdistan Region and the Commander-in-Chief of the Kurdistan Peshmerga Forces Mr. Nechirvan Barzani received today in Erbil Major General John Brennan, the Commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the military organization to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and his accompanying high-level delegation.

The President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Mr. Befel Jalal Talabani, the Minister of Peshmerga, the Chief of Staff of the Peshmerga forces, and a number of Peshmerga commanders and officials attended the meeting which focused on the process of reforms in the Peshmerga Ministry. The latest on the unification of the Peshmerga forces and the existing obstacles to the process, as well as a US proposal regarding the unification efforts were also discussed at the meeting.

President Nechirvan Barzani expressed the Kurdistan Region’s appreciation to the United States and its allies for their continuing support in the the fight against ISIS, and reaffirmed the support of the Kurdistan Region Presidency and the Kurdistan Regional Government for the process of reforms and unification of the Peshmarga forces.

For his part, Mr. Brennan stressed that the United States will continue to support and assist the Peshmerga to unite under the Peshmerga Ministry with a single command, and to become a skillful national force effectively executing its duties.

Discussions also covered the latest developments in the war against terrorism, the need for cooperation between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army, and the continued support of the international coalition to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.