Washington, DC, USA (dfr.krg.org) – ‘The fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is one that will last many years and will only be won by a partnership between the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces and the rest of the world,’ Dr Fuad Hussein said Tuesday at a meeting with Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Dr Hussein, Chief of Staff to President Masoud Barzani, and Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, concluded their third day of meetings in Washington on Wednesday. Their schedule included a number of meetings with members of Congress, members of the Chaldean-American community, and the media.

Representative Royce told the delegation, ‘The peshmerga have shown that they are willing to bring the fight to ISIS, and they will get the state-of-the-art weapons they need to accomplish their mission.’

In addition to Representative Royce, the delegation met in separate meetings with several members of the Foreign Affairs Committee from both branches,including Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, Loretta Sanchez, Dana Rohrabacher, Gregory Meeks, and committee staff. They were also hosted at a Wednesday roundtable by Representative Adam Kinzinger with Representatives TulsiGabbard, Ron DeSantis, Juan Vargas, Curt Clawson, Steve Chabot, Gerald E. Connolly, and Jeff Duncan in attendance.

Minister Mustafa said, ‘We appreciate the United States’ dedication to fighting terrorism. This war will be long and difficult, and we will need your support if we are to defeat ISIS terrorists.’President Barack Obama has asked the Congress to authorise $5.6billion to fight ISIS in Iraq, which includes $1.6billion for the Iraq Train and Equip Fund.

The delegation has returned to Washington for the third time this year to reiterate the need for heavy assault weapons, armoured vehicles, and training for the peshmerga as they continue their offensive against ISIS.

Dr Hussein and Minister Mustafa met with the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Defence of the House Committee on Appropriations to discuss the specific needs of the peshmerga. They pointed out that heavy weapons will be needed to liberate Mosul and Sinjar, and that the peshmerga need training and equipment to defuse unexploded bombs and improvised explosives used by ISIS.

Dr Hussein and Minister Mustafa also met with key members of the Armed Services Committee in the House and Senate Senators Jim Inhofe, Joe Donnelly, Joe Manchin, and Mark Kirk, and Representatives Michael Turner, Trent Franks and Mike Conaway.. The members showed strong support for the Kurdistan Region and the peshmerga. Senator Inhofe agreed with the delegation that ISIS is a global problem, saying,‘The United States thanks the peshmerga for standing up to terrorism on behalf of the entire world.’

The delegation met with Senator John Cornyn of the Judiciary and Human Rights Committee. Minister Mustafa told the Senator, ‘What has happened to the Yezidis can only be seen as a genocide. Countless lives have been destroyed, but we hope the United States will help us seek justice for them in recognising these atrocities.’

In the evening on Tuesday, the delegation met with members of the Chaldean-American community to hear their concerns for the humanitarian crisis in the Kurdistan Region.

ISIS fighters view Yezidis as ‘devil-worshippers’ and have conducted a brutal campaign to destroy the Yezidi religion. Hundreds of thousands of Yezidis have been displaced from their ancestral homelands and are currently seeking refuge in the Kurdistan Region. Many thousands have been killed by ISIS, with hundreds of women and girls kidnapped and sold into slavery or forced into marriage to jihadists.

Dr Hussein and Minister Mustafa also conducted several meetings with numerous supporters of the Kurdistan Region including Representatives Kay Grangers, Mario Diaz-Balert, Dana Rohrabacher, Steve King, Marsha Blackburn, Jeff Fortenberry, Chris van Hollen, Ron Johnson, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Jared Polis, co-Chairmen of the Kurdish American Congressional Caucus. Minister Mustafa said, ‘The US has proven, time and again, a steadfast ally of the Kurdish people. We know that we can count on you for support as our soldiers work to defeat terrorism in our region.’

On Wednesday evening the delegation was hosted by Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin at the Middle East Institute’s Annual Banquet Reception.

Dr Hussein appeared on the Fox News Channel’s Special Reportwith Bret Baier, discussing the recent attack on Rabia by ISIS militants. Dr Hussein said that success in the fight against ISIS will require substantial international support. He was also interviewed by Rudaw and the Washington Post.