US-backed deal sets September deadline for Peshmerga unification: Official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Under a memorandum of understanding with the US government, partisan structures within the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga ministry must be abolished and Kurdish forces brought under total ministry control by September, a senior Kurdish military official said on Tuesday.

"We have a memorandum of understanding with the US Department of Defense,” Bakhtyar Mohammed, secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, told Rudaw, adding that based on the agreement “all Peshmerga forces must be brought under the umbrella of the Peshmerga ministry by September this year, which is the final deadline.”

The US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) has supported efforts by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to bring Peshmerga forces under the command structure of the Peshmerga ministry.

The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have long maintained separate military formations - Unit 80 and Unit 70, respectively. Around 100,000 troops have served under the two forces, receiving salaries and administrative orders through separate party chains of command rather than a unified structure under the ministry, despite occasional tensions between the rival leaderships.

However, in February, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani signed a decree formalizing the authority of Regional Command 1 and Regional Command 2, under which Units 70 and 80 are to be reorganized into 10 divisions. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani later issued an executive order outlining the commands’ legal authority and budget responsibilities.

The separate command structure of Unit 80 has already been dismantled, with its heavy weapons and personnel transferred to the ministry. However, the integration of Unit 70 has yet to be completed.

"Unit 70 submitted a number of requests, which we have forwarded to the [KRG] Council of Ministers. We are awaiting their approval to complete the procedures so that Unit 70 can become the Regional Command 2. So far, the Council of Ministers has not responded,” Mohammed said.

In a speech on Thursday at the Zakho Military College graduation ceremony, President Barzani warned that the unification process “is not progressing as required,” while stressing that it remains a “crucial necessity” and must succeed.

Concerns intensified after reports that the US 2027 Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund (CTEF) proposed reducing direct operational funding for anti-ISIS efforts involving Peshmerga forces, while allocating $118.9 million to Iraqi defense forces.

The Peshmerga ministry later issued a firm statement clarifying that broader U.S. financial, logistical, and reform-oriented assistance has not been suspended and will continue through the September 2026 milestone. However, it confirmed that any future extensions of support will depend on upcoming negotiations and tangible progress on the ground.

On Tuesday, Daniel Zimmerman, US Assistant Secretary of War for International Security Affairs, told a congressional committee he supports continued funding for the security partnership, saying the US would be “hard-pressed to find a more willing and capable group” than the Kurds in Iraq.