News / Foreign Policy

UK set to continue support for Iraqi Kurdish region

Tuesday, 06 April 2021 5:12 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 06 April 2021 5:12 PM ]

The British military provides weapons and training to Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces

James Cleverly, the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa, has stressed the UK's firm support for the Kurds and specifically the Kurdish region in the North of Iraq through a statement on Monday (April 05).

The statement was released on the anniversary of the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 688 and the subsequent imposition of a no-fly zone in Northern Iraq to prevent the former Iraqi military from atttacking Kurdish forces.

Mr. Cleverly described his country's connection with the Iraqi Kurdish region as “very close” and “mutually-beneficial”.

However, the leading Foreign Office official omitted to mention the UK's military cooperation with the former Iraqi Baathist regime prior to the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Noting that the British Consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, is larger than many British embassies around the world, Cleverly called the UK a friend of the Kurdistan Region and stressed Britain's commitment to the region, especially in relation to the training of Peshmerga forces.

Recalling the UK deployment of "a ground force to support the Peshmerga and facilitate humanitarian assistance, made up mostly of Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade", Cleverly affirmed in his statement that “there are currently Peshmerga officers being trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst”, the UK’s leading military academy.

Apart from military training, Mr. Cleverly confirmed that the UK has a “permanent team in Erbil providing technical advice to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on modernizing and reforming the Peshmerga”.

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The Minister also emphasized the importance of future bilateral military and diplomatic relations between the Iraqi Kurdish region and the UK.

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