The Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council receives British Parliamentary delegation

The Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council Masrour Barzani received a delegation consisting of Rory Stewart, a British Member of Parliament and Chairman of Defence Committee, and his associates for talks on the current battle against Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq.

Mr Barzani emphasised in the vitality in the role of the international community in assisting with the Peshmerga confronting militants belonging to ‘Islamic State’ which is politically persecuting the Christians and caused thousands of Yezidi Kurds’ displacement, forcing them to flee to Mount Sinjar.

Mr Stewart said: “I will be sharing what I find with Parliament and the UK government but I am not here representing the government. I am doing it as an MP.

“I want to go out to the refugee camps, meet Kurdish officials and I want to try and get to Baghdad as well as speak to people like local journalists to get a broader sense of opinions. I hope to come back and make recommendations.”

Mr Stewart, a former soldier and diplomat, says it is difficult for people to understand what is happening in the region. He added: “I’ve been on the frontline this morning and I was looking across military positions and talking to people who had been fighting.”