SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The U.S.-led Coalition forces has “always” supported the military integration and security cooperation between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, Col. Wayne Marotto said on Tuesday.
Coalition spokesman Marotto said in a tweet that the Coalition forces alongside the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces remain committed to deny Islamic State (ISIS) militants “the means and opportunities to resurge”.
“CJTFOIR has always supported the military integration & security cooperation between our ISF & Peshmerga partners as it is a key step for achieving long-term stability,” he tweeted, using an acronym for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
Marotto’s comment came after Coalition’s advisers visited the director of training at the ministry of Peshmerga to discuss the establishment and training of joint brigades between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
The Iraqi military and the Peshmerga ministry are working to establish two joint brigades for disputed territories where ISIS militants have increased attacks against civilians and security forces.
In 2017 Baghdad announced victory over the militant group, and attacks in Iraqi cities have since become much rarer, although troops continue to fight ISIS sleeper cells in mountainous and desert areas.
The militants still mount deadly operations, mostly at night and in remote areas.
