President Donald J. Trump meets with the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, at the Davos Congress Centre in Davos, Switzerland. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Trump condemns attacks on Kurdistan Region including strike on Barzani residence
ERBIL — U.S. President Donald Trump strongly condemned recent attacks on the Kurdistan Region, including the drone strike on President Nechirvan Barzani’s residence in Duhok, in a message conveyed during a phone call Wednesday.
Ambassador Tom Barrack, U.S. special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, delivered Trump’s message during a call with Barzani, expressing sympathy and condolences “to the families of the martyrs” while reaffirming “President Trump’s and the United States’ full support for maintaining security and stability in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”
Barzani thanked Trump for the message and expressed appreciation for Washington’s continued support. The two sides also discussed the broader repercussions of the regional conflict.
The message follows the State Department’s condemnation of Saturday’s attack on Barzani’s residence, which Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott described as carried out by “Iran’s terrorist militia proxies in Iraq,” calling it “a direct assault on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability, and unity.” The EU, UK, Jordan, UAE and Syria also condemned the strike.
Prime Minister Sudani condemned the attack and ordered a joint federal-KRG investigation, reaffirming Iraq’s commitment to preventing any group from drawing the country into broader regional conflict. Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani said the attack was among more than 450 carried out against the Kurdistan Region since the war began Feb. 28, and called on Baghdad to either act decisively or acknowledge it cannot stop the groups responsible.