President Barzani, US coalition stress necessity of continuing fight against ISIS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday met with Brigadier General Kevin Lambert, the new commander of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), to discuss the ongoing threat posed by the group and the evolving security situation in Iraq and Syria.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency, the two top officials “agreed that ISIS continues to pose a significant threat to the stability and security of Iraq and Syria,” emphasizing the necessity of maintaining the international coalition’s mission.

The meeting also covered the latest security developments as well as the “terrorism risks” and “ISIS activities” in the region.

The US-led coalition was established in 2014 after Iraq requested international support following ISIS’s rapid territorial gains across Iraq and Syria. Although ISIS lost its territorial holdings in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, remnants and sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries.

In September 2024, Baghdad and Washington agreed to conclude the coalition’s mission in Iraq by September 2025, with the Iraqi government citing improved Iraqi security capabilities. Nonetheless, coalition and Kurdish officials continue to view ISIS as a persistent threat requiring ongoing international cooperation.

On the Syrian stage, President Barzani and Brigadier General Lambert “affirmed that Kurds and other components” must be recognized as “effective partners” in Syria’s current and future landscape, the presidency statement added.

In northeast Syria (Rojava), ISIS remains active, exploiting security gaps amid ongoing conflict and political instability. Thousands of suspected ISIS members remain detained in camps such as al-Hol and Roj, located in Hasaka province under the supervision of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto military authority in Rojava.

Kurdish authorities in Rojava repeatedly warned about a possible ISIS resurgence in recent months. In January, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said there is a “need to intensify efforts to continue the fight against ISIS if we don’t want to see it make a comeback.”

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