Politics

Scotland sends troops to Kurdistan, continue Peshmerga training

For six month, more than 100 servicemen and women will be based in the Kurdistan Region to provide “first class training” to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, according to Sergeant Kevin Conway.

Nadia Riva 2017/12/06 11:48

kurdistan Scotland Kurdistan Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Over 100 soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland have been deployed to the Kurdistan Region to train the Peshmerga, an official revealed on Tuesday.

For six month, more than 100 servicemen and women will be based in the Kurdistan Region to provide “first-class training” to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, according to Sergeant Kevin Conway.

It will “involve things like basic soldiering, infantry skills, first aid training and a bit of bomb training,” he added.

The troops will be based in the Kurdistan Region until summer 2018.

There are several ongoing missions by coalition members in the Kurdistan Region, most of them focused on training the Kurdish forces.

Karim Sinjari, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Acting Minister of Peshmerga, sat with Peshmerga commanders and representatives of the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom in Erbil on Tuesday to discuss the process of reorganizing the Kurdish forces.

“The anti-[Islamic State (IS)] coalition has expressed willingness to support our efforts,” the Peshmerga official said, adding the coalition would also fund the Peshmerga projects and continue training the Kurdish fighters in the future.

In November, the KRG welcomed the annual legislation establishing the Defense Department budget which ensured continued funding for the Peshmerga.

The bill authorizes $1.3 billion for the Counter-IS Train and Equip Fund and includes $365 million that the Department of Defense requested for support for the Peshmerga in Fiscal Year 2018.

Earlier last month, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel urged parliament to extend the military mission training Peshmerga fighters in the Kurdistan Region, warning a withdrawal of German troops would raise the risks of a civil war in Iraq.

Germany is a member of the US-led coalition which has trained and supplied Peshmerga forces with military equipment, including German MILAN anti-tank system.

There are currently 150 German troops in the Kurdistan Region training Peshmerga fighters in the fight against IS.

Editing by C. Douglas