The Prime Minister of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government, Nechervan Barzani, said that the Iraqi Peshmerga will remain in Syria only for a short time to support the Syrian Kurds fighting against the Islamic State militants in Kobani.
Barzani's remarks come in the wake of Iraqi Peshmerga fighters having entered the Syrian border town of Kobani through Turkey.
Barzani said that the Iraqi Peshmerga fighters were in Syria to support fellow Kurds and not to accomplish any political objectives, adding that the U.S. led airstrikes alone were not enough to defeat the Islamic State.
"Our role is to back up the people who are struggling on the ground in Kobani," he said. "I don't ... expect major changes in the political equation of the region as a whole," Barzani said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Barzani also acknowledged the role played by the U.S. in pressuring Turkey to permit Iraqi Peshmerga fighters to enter Syria through Turkey.
Turkey believes that the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Kurdish group fighting against the Islamic State in Syria, is "no different" than the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought against Turkey for 30 years and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and NATO.
However, Turkey's decision to permit Iraqi Kurdish fighters to cross its territory cannot be viewed as a complete policy turnaround, as it has permitted Peshmerga fighters from Iraq and not the PKK.
On the issue of defeating the Islamic State militants, Barzai said that airstrikes alone were not enough, adding that the international coalition should properly arm the Kurdish fighters. Barzani said that only light weapons were provided to the Peshmerga so far, while what they required was heavy weapons like anti- tank missiles. He also said that Germany has provided some anti- tank missiles while neither Iraq nor the U.S. has let the Peshmerga buy weapons from other countries.
Meanwhile, Canadian fighter jets carried out their first airstrikes against the Islamic State militants in Iraq on Sunday.
Two CF-18 fighter jets dropped laser-guided bombs near Fallujah, west of Baghdad, and returned to their bases, said a statement from Defense Minister Rob Nicholson's office, reports Brampton Guardian.
The statement also said that a Polaris C- 150 jet refueled the fighter jets on their way to the target.
Last month, Canadian lawmakers approved plans to send fighter jets to Iraq to take part in the U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants for up to six months.
