ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Reforms of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces continue, though they have slowed due to political disputes, an official from the Peshmerga ministry told Rudaw.
“The Peshmerga ministry’s reform program continues, although there are obstacles. But there is progress, even though it’s a slow one,” Bakhtyar Mohammed, secretary general of the Peshmerga ministry, told Rudaw on the sidelines of the Sulaimani forum.
The reforms are to remove political influence from the Peshmerga, which are largely controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and establish a modern army.
The obstacles to these reforms include domestic political disputes between the KDP and PUK, the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), Baghdad-Erbil relations, as well issues around the Kurdistan Region’s share in the federal budget, according to Mohammed.
Regarding joint brigades between Iraqi and Kurdish forces to combat ISIS in the security vacuum in the disputed areas between their areas of control, Mohammed said that the brigades have not “fully started working,” and he hoped that “more brigades are formed and brought to the division level.”
Baghdad and Erbil agreed in 2021 to establish two joint brigades in response to escalating ISIS activities in areas disputed between the federal and regional governments around Kirkuk, Diyala, Khanaqin, Salahaddin, and western Nineveh where militants are active. Despite the agreement, the formation of the brigades was delayed because of turmoil around forming the government after the 2021 election and lack of funding.
In a separate interview with Rudaw’s Mushtaq Ramadan, Mohammed said that the Peshmerga forces are included in any discussion between the Iraqi delegation currently visiting Washington DC, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and American officials regarding the Iraqi security forces.
“Any support that includes the security sector in Iraq also includes the Peshmerga,” Mohammed noted, adding that the ministry was “optimistic” about the prime minister’s visit to the United States.
Sudani embarked on a week-long trip on April 13, marking his first visit to the US as prime minister. He was received by Biden in the Oval Office on Monday.
He also met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon where Sudani expressed “Iraq's interest in acquiring expertise, arms, and experience, emphasizing the importance of security partnership, especially given the current regional conditions that require stability and prevention of escalation,” according to a statement from his office.
Sudani also met with American weapons and military equipment manufacturer General Dynamic, during which he touched upon “cooperation with the company as part of the government's efforts to rebuild Iraq's military capabilities, specifically in providing tanks and armored vehicles.”
