Iraqi Kurds Foreign Relations Chief Requests Russian Military, Humanitarian Aid

Sputnik News

15:18 07.11.2016(updated 15:21 07.11.2016)

Iraqi Kurdistan's Foreign Relations chief Falah Mustafa Bakir said on Monday that he had asked Moscow to provide military assistance in fight against terrorists as well as humanitarian aid to refugees during a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Bogdanov and Bakir met in Moscow on November 1 to discuss the fight against terrorism and the operation to liberate the city of Mosul.

"Yes, we asked for this kind of support since the issue of combating terrorism is crucial," Bakir told the Izvestia newspaper answering if he had requested the Russian military assistance.

"We asked for humanitarian aid for refugees, who came to Iraqi Kurdistan from other parts of the country, and also from Syria," Bakir added.

According to Bakir, the Russian side said it would examine the request and would try to help.

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake Mosul from IS, a jihadist group outlawed in Russia. According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed by airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.

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