Kurdish leader meets Italian MoD on anti-IS effort

IRBIL, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani received Italian Minister of Defense Roberta Pinotti on Thursday to discuss the future of Nineveh Governorate, northwest Iraq, after the defeat of the so-called Islamic State (IS).
The two sides discussed the role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against the militant group particularly in the military operation to liberate the northern city of Mosul from IS, according to a statement by Barzani's office.
They also dealt with the relationship between Irbil and Baghdad, and the effort to counter the extremist and sectarian ideology, as well as the situations in Iraq and Kurdistan region with emphasis on Mosul. Pinotti highlighted the role of her country in the US-led coalition to counter the IS and reaffirmed support to the Peshmerga forces, the statement noted.
On his part, Barzani appreciated the Italian support to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the war against terrorism.
The Italian minister and her party, now on a previously unannounced visit to Iraq, arrived here last night from Baghdad where they met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other senior officials.
Earlier today, Pinotti inspected the Mosul Dam, being and upgraded by Italy's Trevi Group, and discussed the logistics for the deployment of 450 Italian soldiers near the frontline with the IS to protect the rehabilitation process.
The IS militants took hold of the Dam and Mosul city in August, 2014, but the Peshmerga, backed by Iraqi and coalition forces, were able to recapture the Dam a fortnight later. In February, 2016, the Iraqi government awarded a contract to Trevi Group to repair the Dam amid fears that the IS militants might blow up the Dam to inflict large-scale damage on the entire country. (end) sbr.tb.gb