Iraqi Kurdistan government announces unification of Peshmerga — Jerusalem Post
The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq announced the completion of a lengthy process to unify the Peshmerga forces under the leadership of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. Regional Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called it a historic day for Kurdistan and said the forces would operate within a single modern military structure. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Unified command structure
According to Barzani, the unification covers operations, training, command and control, communications, and administration. He stressed that completing the reorganization is only the first stage of a longer process. He named strengthening military capabilities, acquiring modern weapons and air defense systems, improving training, and developing personnel in line with international military standards as the next tasks.
The prime minister also said there was a need to remove the Peshmerga from party rivalry and form a national Kurdish force that would stand above party and personal interests. Barzani thanked the United States and coalition forces for supporting the reforms and helping in the fight against the Islamic State group.
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A reform that lasted years
The Peshmerga are the armed forces of the autonomous Kurdistan government in northern Iraq. After Kurdish self-rule was established in 1991, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan had separate military structures. Political and economic disputes became one of the factors in the Kurdish civil war, which began in 1994. The 1998 agreement ended the fighting but cemented the division of areas of influence and security forces between the two parties.
New attempts to create professional unified forces began after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The parties concluded a unification agreement in 2006 and created joint regional guard brigades, but significant formations remained under party control, including the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan-affiliated Force 70 and the Kurdistan Democratic Party-affiliated Force 80.
Since 2017, the regional government, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany have supported a program to professionalize the Peshmerga. It included reorganization, logistics, training, and institutional changes, and aimed to integrate personnel into unified divisions. Barzani also called for stronger coordination with the Iraqi army and equal financial rights for Peshmerga servicemen.
