MERI 2026: Nechirvan Barzani says coalition ‘not expelled’
Shafaq News- Erbil
Iraq did not "expel" US-led coalition forces, Kurdistan Region (KRI) President Nechirvan Barzani said on Monday, calling for air defenses for both Baghdad and Erbil and for all weapons to be placed under state control.
"Sovereignty begins with bringing weapons under state control," Barzani told a panel at the Middle East Research Institute's MERI Forum 2026 in Erbil, adding that Iraq must not become a platform for threats against Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.
The coalition arrived in 2014, after the rise of ISIS, at the formal invitation of the Iraqi government, which asked the United States to lead it, Barzani said. Ten or twelve years on, he added, it is natural that Iraq no longer needs those forces, though good relations with the countries involved should remain a priority.
"We did not expel them. But today we are glad that Iraq has been able to stand on its own feet."
On air defense, Barzani asked who had actually protected the Kurdistan Region, saying the whole of Iraq, the KRI included, needs air defense systems. A 52-point agreement reached with the United States under former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani provided for such systems and covered the Kurdistan Region, he said.
Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq
