Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani extended his congratulations to the Kurdistan people, Peshmerga forces as well as the entire Iraqi people and Iraqi forces for the joint victory against the so-called the Islamic State terrorist group, ISIS.

Opening today’s regular session of the Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers, he praised the decisive role of the Peshmerga forces against ISIS; as they were the first force to defeat the terrorist organization on the battlefield.

Prime Minister Barzani expressed his government’s gratitude particularly to the US-led international coalition forces, stating that “it would have been impossible to achieve these victories, without their support.”

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Council of Ministers stressed that the military defeat of ISIS does not mean its total eradication. “This can happen only when all Iraq’s different components equally participate in the political process and in the administration of the country, where their rights are to be fully protected.”