Kurdistan Region to focus on Peshmerga in negotiations to form next Iraqi government

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ten days after Iraqi parliamentary elections, officials from the autonomous Kurdistan Region told Kurdistan 24 that they intend to focus a significant amount of effort on the status of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in negotiations to form the new federal government.

Central to this would be granting the Peshmerga a clear mandate as an official part of the Iraqi defense apparatus and for federal funds allotted to them to be disbursed consistently and fully, something that Baghdad has often blocked over the past several years.

Multiple agreements between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KFG) and successive federal administrations have broken down, notably those that involved policies related to the Peshmerga.

The Director of Information and National Awareness in the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, Brigadier Othman Mohammed, told Kurdistan 24 that although "some chauvinist voices" often cast the Peshmerga as "militias," they are, in fact, an official force under the federal government.

In a separate interview with Kurdistan 24, the head of the Peshmerga Committee in the Kurdistan Parliament, Revenk Haruri, argued that several agreements since 2005 have been reached between Erbil and Baghdad regarding the rights and financial dues of the Peshmerga, but have not been effectively implemented them so far.

He stressed that the ministry "demands that its rights and financial dues" be a major subject of negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad as part of the extended horsetrading that occurs between Iraqi national elections and the usually delayed formation of the next government.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced the final preliminary results of Iraq’s early parliamentary elections on Oct. 16. Iran-backed Shia parties lost a large number of seats compared to the 2018 election.

As a result, leaders of these parties, their supporters, and militias took to the streets of Baghdad, demanding a recount of the vote and accusing the electoral commission of "playing with the results."

Read More: Peshmerga warns of rising ISIS threat in post-election Iraq

Peshmerga Ministry Spokesperson Colonel Osman Mohammad told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday, "It is during these times that ISIS can and is willing to pose threats in those areas in which it wants to do so."