US secretary of state meets Masoud Barzani in Erbil

By Ali Mohamed

BAGHDAD (AA) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Erbil on Wednesday, where he met with Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and former head of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

A KDP source told Anadolu Agency that the meeting occurred immediately after Pompeo's arrival in Erbil from Baghdad, where he arrived earlier Wednesday for a surprise visit.

While in Erbil, Pompeo is also scheduled to meet with Nechirvan Barzani, the current head of the Kurdish Regional Government, according to the same source.

Pompeo is currently on a tour of the Middle East aimed at reassuring Washington’s regional allies of continued U.S. support despite a planned U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria.

The U.S. secretary of state was in Jordan on Tuesday for the first leg of his regional tour, which will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.