Kurdish leader, CENTCOM chief hold talks in Erbil

By Idris Okuducu

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - Masoud Barzani, the president of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), met with General Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in Erbil, the KRG’s website has reported.

According to the KRG, Barzani briefed Votel -- who arrived in Erbil on Tuesday at the head of a large military delegation -- about recent military operations by the Hashd al-Shaabi near Iraq’s border with Syria.

Those operations reportedly sparked controversy, as they were conducted unilaterally and without coordination with Baghdad.

Incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces late last year, the Hashd al-Shaabi is a largely Shia fighting force drawn up in 2014 to fight the Daesh terrorist group.

Barzani also reportedly briefed Votel and members of his delegation on other recent developments in the region, going on to thank the U.S. for providing assistance to KRG-led Peshmerga forces.

“The KRG requires a joint military, political and administrative plan regarding ongoing operations to recapture Mosul from Daesh,” Barzani was quoted as saying, adding that there was no plan yet as to how the city would be administered after its liberation.

Barzani went on to cite a U.S.-brokered military agreement between the KRG and Iraq’s central government.

“The agreement calls on the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces to form a joint military force tasked with purging Tal Afar and Sinjar of terrorist entities,” Barzani said.

He went on, however, to accuse the Hashd al-Shaabi of acting unilaterally and causing “confusion and trouble”.

"We [the KRG] have a right to be concerned about problems that could potentially arise due to a lack of political and administrative coordination," he was quoted as saying.

Barzani went on to stress the need to fight Daesh, but warned of the consequences of “hidden agendas” on the part of certain political actors.

“Such hidden agendas only create more problems and can negatively affect the fight against terrorism,” he said.

“What’s more, it is unacceptable for any force to violate the KRG’s borders and impose its will on the region," he added.

Votel, for his part, stressed that Washington would continue to provide aid to the Peshmerga.

The U.S. general also reportedly delivered a letter to Barzani -- the content of which was not revealed -- from U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara