Barzani Receives UN Special Team Probing IS Crimes, Expresses Full Support

Kurdish prominent leader Masoud Barzani received on Tuesday the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Islamic State (UNITAD) in Erbil to discuss the investigations as well as Kurdistan Region’s support to the process.

The visiting delegation, headed by Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, Special Adviser of the Investigative Team, highlighted the role of Kurdistan Region and the Peshmerga forces during the battle against Islamic State (IS).

They briefed Barzani on their operations which also includes the exhumation of the mass graves in Sinjar where the IS jihadists have buried the Kurdish Yezidi victims from 2014 massacres.

They agreed that the IS crimes against Yezidis and others in Iraq constitute as “genocide”, and those responsible should face justice.

Barzani, in return, thanked the UN initiative and noted that he is ready to provide every assistance to the investigations. He emphasized that the people of Kurdistan have always been ready for a new chapter in their relations with other peoples in hopes of promoting peace and tolerance in the region.

Concerning the IS threats, Barzani reiterated that the jihadist group has been militarily defeated, but it continues posing a serious threat to the entire world.

“Terrorism aims at creating conflicts between religions, which is a serious issue. Therefore, a multilateral and international effort is needed to encounter this threat,” Barzani was quoted as saying in the readout of the meeting.