Macron visits Erbil and Mosul, vows to stay the course against IS
The French president visited the northern Iraqi city where an Islamic State ‘caliphate’ was declared in 2014, pledging to continue supporting Iraq in its fight against terrorism.
ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan — French President Emmanuel Macron on Aug. 30 visited the former "capital" of the Islamic State (IS), Mosul, a day after taking part in the Baghdad Conference, involving several high-level leaders from the region, in the Iraqi capital.
He had flown to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on the night of Aug. 29, where he met with Yazidi Nobel Peace Prize laureate and IS torture survivor Nadia Murad as well as senior Kurdish officials.
During the visit Aug. 30, Macron met with President of Iraqi Kurdistan Nechirvan Barzani, the latter stressed the significance of the French president's trip to Iraq in supporting the democratic process.
Iraq is holding early elections Oct. 10.
