The unification of Peshmerga forces begins… Kurdistan affirms its ability to manage the situation after the end of US support.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Peshmerga Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Shorsh Ismail, announced the start of the practical phase of unifying the Peshmerga forces under the umbrella of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, stressing that the ministry will be able to manage the affairs of its forces autonomously after the end of the financial support agreement with the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) next September.
Ismail said during a press conference following the launch ceremony of the first joint training course for the Peshmerga forces, in the presence of representatives of the international coalition forces, that the process of unifying the forces has entered into force after overcoming the obstacles that were hindering it, indicating that all forces will be under the direct supervision and management of the Ministry of Peshmerga.
He explained that the ministry will manage housing, training, logistical and administrative tasks according to a unified system, within the framework of implementing the directives of the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and within the plan to integrate the forces that were outside the scope of the ministry.
Regarding cooperation with the international coalition, Ismail revealed that the financial support agreement concluded with the US Department of Defense will end next September, noting that there are no indications yet regarding its extension or the signing of a new agreement.
He stressed that the Ministry of Peshmerga has the ability to manage its affairs in terms of training, housing and developing the administrative system independently, adding that continued support from the coalition forces would be an additional gain, but that stopping it would not affect the ministry’s ability to meet the needs of its forces.
A senior official in the Ministry of Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Regional Government revealed to Shafaq News Agency on Monday that the process of reorganizing the Peshmerga forces, which is supervised by the international coalition, will begin with the opening of a training course entitled “Decision-Making Process,” noting that the course represents the actual beginning of the integration and restructuring of the Peshmerga forces that were previously known as Units “70” and “80,” and were then renamed to “First Region” and “Second Region,” while indicating that the ultimate goal is to fully integrate these forces and place them under the direct umbrella of the Ministry of Peshmerga.
The Kurdistan Regional Government had previously launched a project to reorganize and unify the Peshmerga forces under the umbrella of the Ministry of Peshmerga, including the integration of formations historically associated with the two main parties in the region, namely Unit 80 of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Unit 70 of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
The Peshmerga forces base their legal status on the constitutional powers granted to the Kurdistan Region to manage its security forces and regional guard, but their organizational reality has remained for years divided between brigades directly affiliated with the Ministry of Peshmerga, and others subject to the influence of the two main parties.
After the emergence of ISIS in 2014, international efforts to reform these forces accelerated, as the international coalition, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, worked to support a strategic project to unify the Peshmerga in terms of administrative affiliation, armament, military doctrine, leadership structure, funding mechanisms and deployment map, as well as training and receiving military support and donations.
Shafaq.com