Abd al-Mahdi, Pompeo discuss fight against ISIS in SE Syria
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed on Wednesday during a phone conversation the fight against ISIS remnants in southeastern Syria, the prime minister's press service said in a statement.
"The parties discussed the recent developments in the anti-ISIS fight near the Iraqi-Syrian border and their impact on Iraq, as well as pointed out the importance of cooperation between all the parties in order to compensate Iraq's human and material losses as a result of the war against ISIS in accordance with the UN resolutions and international regulations, as well as discussed economic problems, strengthening Iraq's capacities and its independence," the statement said.
The parties also pointed out the legal nature of the US-led coalition's presence in Iraq.
"The goal of the coalition is to fight ISIS, train Iraqi forces... The coalition is operating in Iraq with consent of the Iraqi authorities," the statement added.
Last month, the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the start of an operation aimed at liberating the village of Baghouz, which is located at the border with Iraq and remains, according to the militias, the last settlement held by ISIS in the region.
