SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-president Bafel Talabani on Sunday called on the U.S.-led Coalition forces to expand assistance for the Peshmerga forces.
Talabani met with the commander of German forces in the Kurdistan Region in Sulaimani’s Dabashan area, the PUK co-president’s office said in a statement.
The two sides discussed the latest political and economic developments as well as steps to unify and reorganize the Peshmerga forces during the meeting, also attended by security and intelligence officials of Sulaimani province, the statement read.
They also discussed the expansion of cooperation and coordination to fight against Islamic State (ISIS) remnants in the country, according to the statement.
Talabani stressed the importance of military coordination between the two sides, including in the field of armament, training and developing military capabilities in the framework of international efforts to confront terror and to protect security and stability in the region, his office said.
He also called on the Coalition forces to “expand their assistance for the Peshmerga forces and to support steps taken to unify and reorganize the Peshmerga”, it added.
Talabani also pointed to the need for “reorganizing the military units on the basis of modern military science,” the statement said.
“All steps should be towards establishing a force that is at the level of the Region’s strength and the high interests of our people,” he noted. “For this, the PUK has made facilitation and preparations.”
Talabani and the German military delegation also discussed security vacuum in some areas in Iraq and ISIS movements.
“Foiling several plots of ISIS terrorists to disrupt the security of the Region by the Asayish agency and counter-terrorism forces tell us that threats still remain and we need to confront them together,” Talabani said.
