Security

President Barzani expresses full support for Peshmerga reform

Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shoresh Ismail briefed President Barzani on the results of the recent visits of the Ministry of Peshmerga to the UK and United States.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/08/10 21:52

Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday met with Peshmerga Minister Shorish Ismail (Photo: Barzani Headquarters)

Kurdistan Peshmerga Peshmerga Reform Masoud Barzani Unification MNAG

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday discussed Peshmerga reform with Shoresh Ismail, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs, who returned from two trips to the United States and the United Kingdom.

The meeting was also attended by Lt. Gen. Issa Ozeir, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Peshmerga, the Barzani Headquarters said in a press release.

Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shoresh Ismail briefed President Barzani on the results of the recent Ministry of Peshmerga delegation to the UK and United States.

During the meeting, President Barzani expressed his full support for the Peshmerga reform program.

The Netherlands, the US, the UK, and Germany form the Multi-National Advisory Group (MNAG) supports the Peshmerga project of establishing a modern, and united Peshmerga force under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

A top military official last week announced that the partisan 70 and 80 Units of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces will be fully unified under the command of the Ministry of Peshmerga by 2023.

The new step is part of the KRG’s ninth cabinet’s ongoing reform efforts over the past three years.

Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, Colonel Farman Farhad told the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s Department of Media and Information, that in coordination with the US-led coalition that “20 Peshmerga brigades have been consolidated under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.”

Moreover, to date, over 30,000 soldiers and Peshmerga officers are enrolled in the KRG’s direct deposit system and receive their salaries directly into their bank accounts.