On Tuesday, a joint statement by the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS received widespread criticism from analysts and one senior Kurdish official, as it failed to mention the important role that Kurdish Peshmerga forces played and continue to play in the fight against ISIS.

“The statement issued after the recent meeting of the International Coalition to fight ISIS in Riyadh, which included the new Syria, made no mention whatsoever of the pivotal role played by the Peshmerga forces in Iraq and the Kurdish [Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)] in Syria, which were supported by the international coalition in defeating the organization,” senior Kurdistan Democratic Party official and former Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari posted on X.

Kamaran Palani, Principal Investigator of the Iraq PeaceRep program at the LSE Middle East Center, told Kurdistan Chronicle that it is wrong that the Global Coalition “does not even once mention or recognize the Kurds in Iraq and Syria, who were among the most important actors on the ground in the fight against ISIS, at a time when very few were willing to do so.

"Even more troubling is the fact that some of those who contributed to the rise of ISIS are now being presented as champions. Recognizing the role of Kurdish actors does not undermine the sovereignty of states; it is simply the right thing to do morally, politically, and militarily.”

“It is worth noting that the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs was represented at the meeting by an undersecretary.”

On February 9, Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting of senior diplomatic and defense officials from the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Riyadh. In a joint statement, the role of the Peshmerga was not mentioned, although the sacrifices of the SDF were mentioned.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, posted on X that “only the Kurdish Peshmerga fought bravely to reverse the ISIS tide, and now we’ve thrown the Kurds under the bus and forgotten their sacrifice.”

The French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy also posted on X that the Coalition statement did not make “sense.” 

“First, because it praises Iraq & Syria which were the incubators of #ISIS. But also because it fails to mention the Kurds who defeated ISIS at the cost of unspeakable sacrifices. A colossal strategic error and an unforgivable moral failing.”

During his visit to the Kurdistan Region last week, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot praised the Peshmerga forces.

“We all recall the united efforts of the French armed forces alongside the valiant Peshmergas, recently commemorated in Paris, as well as the determination of the SDF in their fight against ISIS at the gates of Erbil and Kobani.

“President [Francois] Hollande was the first head of state to visit Erbil, offering his condolences to our brothers and sisters. Everyone recalls the courage and sacrifice of the heroic women who valiantly confronted the barbarians to protect their homeland, Kurdistan.”

Furthermore, on Wednesday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Interior Reber Ahmad met with Monica Jacobsen, Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Acting U.S. Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, during which they both affirmed the “critical role and enduring value of the Peshmerga in defeating ISIS and maintaining regional stability.”

The war against ISIS began after the group announced its caliphate in 2014. By 2019, ISIS had lost all of its territorial holdings; however, it continues to pose a major threat to global stability.

In a statement published in August last year, KRG Coordinator for International Advocacy Dindar Zebari underlined that the Peshmerga played a major role in the fight against ISIS, with 1,814 Peshmerga killed, 10,725 wounded, and 44 still missing.