Germany continues to support efforts to strengthen Peshmerga forces: official

Col. Stühmer said their goal is to make the Peshmerga stronger.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/05/20 18:50

Deputy Peshmerga Minister Sarbast Lazgin meeting with Col. Alexander Stühmer on Thursday 19, May 2022 (Photo: Ministry of Peshmerga).

Kurdistan Germany in Erbil Germany Lead Inspector General Peshmerga Reform Directorate of the Ministry of Peshmerga Reform Unit 70 Unit 80

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Deputy Peshmerga Minister Sarbast Lazgin met on Thursday with Col. Alexander Stühmer, Commander of German Forces in Iraq, to discuss Peshmerga reform and the latest security developments.

The Deputy Peshmerga Minister Lazgin praised the role of the German government and people in supporting the Peshmerga forces, the Ministry of Peshmerga said in a tweet.

According to the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Peshmerga, the Ministry of Peshmerga is ready for any cooperation and coordination necessary for Peshmerga reform.

Col. Stühmer said their goal is to reform the Peshmerga forces to make them “stronger and stronger, in order to protect the land and the people of Kurdistan from terrorists.”

He added that the goal is to create more stability and security in the region.

Together with the Netherlands, the US, and the UK, Germany forms the Multi-National Advisory Group (MNAG) that enthusiastically supports the project to establish a modern, effective, affordable and accountable Peshmerga force under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The German Bundestag agreed in January to extend the German army's mission in Iraq until October 2022.

German assistance to the Iraqi armed forces and the Peshmerga is part of Berlin's contribution to the US-led coalition against ISIS and NATO's mission in Iraq.

A recent US Defense Department Lead Inspector General report said that 47,500 Peshmerga personnel are presently under the command of the Ministry of Peshmerga.

The US-led coalition "said that the number was expected to grow with the transfer of the two new units coming from the partisan 70s (PUK) and 80s (KDP) Units."

"Separately, the PUK-affiliated 70s Unit was estimated at 40,000-45,000 personnel and the KDP-affiliated 80s Unit included roughly 63,000-68,000 personnel," the report added.