In a meeting on Monday, December 11, to discuss the situation in the Kurdistan Region, KRG premier thanked the anti-IS Coalition forces for their support for the Peshmerga forces during the fight against the IS militants.

“It would have been impossible to achieve these victories, without their support,” KRG said in a statement quoting premier Barzani.

According to NRT the KRG’s Council of Ministers said following the meeting that the defeat of IS militarily does not mean eradication of the group in Iraq.

“This can happen only when all Iraq’s different constituencies participate equally in the political process and in the administration of the country, where their rights are to be fully protected,” the statement read.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared victory over IS in the country, in which he praised the good quality of all Iraqi forces, except Peshmerga.

Following critique from the Kurdish authorities, the Iraqi premier added the word Peshmerga forces for his statement posted on his official Facebook page.

Islamic State seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities.

Backed by a U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi forces gradually retook control of all territory lost to the militants over the last three years.

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