ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday renewed his call for putting an end to influence from the Region’s political parties on the Peshmerga forces, during his remarks to the graduating class of Zakho Military College in Duhok, echoing his speech in the Qalachwalan Military Academy graduation ceremony earlier this week.
Barzani, accompanied by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy PM Qubad Talabani, attended the graduation ceremony of 27th class of Zakho’s Second Military College, which saw 499 Peshmerga officers graduate on Thursday.
"Infiltration from political parties prevents the progression of the Peshmerga... The people of Kurdistan are asking for a unified Peshmerga force" Kurdistan Region President said in his speech, adding that the Peshmerga was initially founded to protect the people, not to serve political parties’ interests.
Barzani on Sunday called on the Region’s top political parties to eliminate political influence on the Peshmerga forces, during a speech at the graduation ceremony of over 500 Peshmerga officers in Sulaimani’s Qalachwalan Military Academy. An inability to unify the forces directly affects people’s lives, he said.
Although the Peshmerga forces are under the authority of the Peshmerga ministry, the forces’ two largest units are divided among the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Unit 70 forces are affiliated with the PUK and Unit 80 forces are controlled by the KDP, making up the majority of Peshmerga forces, totalling over 100,000 troops.
"We are all Iraqis, and a part of Iraq and must work towards resolution with that mindset,” the president said. "I ask of Baghdad, if it truly considers the Kurdistan Region and its people as a part of Iraq, it must resolve the problems between the Region and Baghdad as soon as possible"
The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled in February that the KRG’s oil and gas law was unconstitutional; a decision that was swiftly rejected by the KRG who deemed the judgment to be “unjust” and “unconstitutional”.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and other Kurdistan Region officials rejected the ruling. “The decision is unjust, unconstitutional, and violates the rights and constitutional authorities of the Kurdistan Region. It is unacceptable and the court had to investigate further and consider the requests of the Kurdistan Region,” the KRG responded in a statement.
“The people of Mosul, Baghdad, Basra, Anbar, Kirkuk, Erbil, Sulaimani love each other. People don’t have problems with one another,” he added. “They are tired and do not wish for conflicts to continue.”
Barzani lauded the role of the Peshmerga forces in combating the Islamic State (ISIS) over the years, but stressed that remnants of the militant group are still present, posing a “big threat” to the Region, Iraq, and the whole world.
The president stated that he was glad to see a number of female officers among the graduates, as well as one Christian officer, wishing for more female and minority graduates in future classes
