Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday called on the Iraqi government to supply the Kurdistan Region (KRI) with air defense systems to counter recurring drone attacks, while ruling out a resurgence of ISIS after the US-led coalition's withdrawal.

"We have no fears of a security vacuum, but we have one important point: securing air defense systems for the Kurdistan Region," Barzani told reporters in Erbil. The KRI needs help from its allies and is in continuous talks with them and with Baghdad to obtain the systems, he said, adding that once they are in place, “the threats will disappear.”

Read more: Experts doubt Baghdad can stop Kurdistan Region attacks

“Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga are well prepared to confront any threat,” Barzani said, dismissing concerns that ISIS could re-emerge.

The US-led Coalition ended its military mission in Iraq on September 30. Two days earlier, the KRI’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs warned that the withdrawal was taking place at a "sensitive time," saying it was worrying that the United States was leaving without providing any defense system.

The Kurdistan Region has been hit by more than 1,000 drone, rocket, and missile attacks since February 28, some of which Barzani has blamed on Iran and “militias” inside Iraq.

Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq