The meeting took place at the Kurdistan Region Presidency headquarters in Erbil, according to the joint statement released on Tuesday.
“The committee met to assess progress on Peshmerga reform objectives outlined in the U.S. DoD – Kurdish Region Government (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was renewed in September 2022,” it added.
The signing of the first MoU was first signed in 2016 during the presidency of Masoud Barzani, leader of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
The US has provided the Kurdish Peshmerga with several rounds of military aid over the years, namely in the fight against the Islamic State beginning in 2014.
“The committee reviewed the progress made towards Peshmerga reform and agreed upon the milestones for the next year as part of the shared long-term commitment to unify Peshmerga forces under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA) and build a professional, capable force to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” read the joint statement.
The Peshmerga ministry “has made significant progress towards financial and force structure reform,” according to the statement which stressed that the Pentagon and the Peshmerga ministry look forward to “the continued advancement” of reform efforts outlined in the 2022 MoU.
“The United States stands with the people of Iraq, including the people of the Kurdistan Region, as they build a strong, stable, and sovereign Iraq,” it noted.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told Rudaw's Diyar Kurda during a press briefing late Tuesday that US has a "long-standing relationship" with Peshmerga "as it pertains to its association with the Iraqi security forces."
He added that the joint statement by the Pentagon and the Kurdistan Region Presidency "lays out what efforts are being made to further bolster and strengthen that relationship within the auspices of the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces."
Ryder noted that "We'll continue to to use that opportunity to help ensure that our Peshmerga partners have the capabilities they need to support broader Iraqi security and stability. And you know when we have updates will certainly pass it along."
Although the Peshmerga forces are nominally under the authority of the ministry, control of the two largest units is divided between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the KDP.Joint Statement on the Inaugural Peshmerga Executive Steering Committee Meeting Between the Department of Defense and Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Peshmerga Affairshttps://t.co/38cmmfa7pS pic.twitter.com/At8SDSQbox
— Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) January 30, 2024
