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The vice president of Ìýmet with US army officialsÌýto discuss security, asÌýthe group launched another deadly overnight attack in .

Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa spoke with Colonel Michael Cullinane, the US chief of operations in Iraq, and Major Peter Blades, another military official, according to a tweet late Monday.

Vice President Mustafa said theyÌýdiscussed the latest round of US-Iraqi , as well as Washington's support for Iraqi Kurdistan's Peshmerga forces.

Late lastÌýmonth,ÌýIraqi Prime MinisterÌýÌýand US President Joe Biden concluded talks in Washington that focused in part on the withdrawal of US combat troops, with New Year's Eve 2021Ìýearmarked for an end to all US combat operations in Iraq. The remaining US soldiers there will shiftÌýto a training and advisory role for Iraq's military.

A Kurdish official who spoke toÌý°®Âþµºâ€™s Arabic-language sister siteÌýAl-Araby Al-Jadeed said the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration was still dependent on support from the US-led coalition in its fight against the remnants of IS, formally defeated in 2017.

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The official expressed concerns aboutÌýthe security situation in parts of Iraq where control is disputed between Baghdad and Erbil, including Kirkuk, and districts in Nineveh, Salahaddin, and Diyala.

Still, Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga are working together on security in some areas that have seenÌýan uptick in IS attacks on security forces and civilians.

It comes after another overnight attack by anÌýIS sleeper cell in Kirkuk, resulting in the deaths of two federal policeÌýofficers. Iraq's security media said its forces clashed with the perpetrators, killing one IS militant.

Security in the disputed territories is complicatedÌýby the presence of Iran-backed militias, who have tried to entrench their influence in parts of Iraq by creating local armed groups withÌýties to Tehran.