U.S. Consul in Erbil confirms his country's support for the Kurdistan Region 

Shafaq News/ The U.S. consul in the Kurdistan region confirmed President Joe Biden's "long-term" commitment to Iraq and the region, warning of a new emergence of ISIS in the country.

 The U.S Consul in the region, Robert Palladino, said in a press conference held today, in Erbil, "America has started withdrawing its forces from Iraq as agreed upon," noting, "the remaining forces will be organized according to the agreement, they are training forces."

"The war against ISIS is not over yet. President Biden affirmed the United States' commitment to supporting Iraq and the Kurdistan Region."

 Regarding the upcoming elections, Palladino stressed, "We will not support any particular candidate or party in Iraq. However, the U.S. government supports the Iraqi government in holding fair elections."

 He pointed out that the US government supports holding the voting process, pointing out, "the stability of the Middle East is the stability of Iraq, and the situation here is different from Afghanistan, aa each country has its own peculiarities."

 Palladino indicated that the U.S. will not change its policy in the Kurdistan Region, stressing that his country will continue to support the Peshmerga forces in terms of securing military equipment and training.

"The U.S. government helped the Ministry of Peshmerga in carrying out reforms," he said, noting, "last year it provided more than 250 million dollars to the Peshmerga forces."

Palladino warned, "We are sure if efforts are not made, ISIS will reappear, and we know very well that it still poses a threat."

 The US consul also said, "ISIS is constantly blowing up power transmission towers to deprive citizens of electricity in this hot weather. It is blocking roads, kidnapping, and killing people."