Security

28 Peshmerga brigades unified by KRG and Coalition Forces

Recently, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani officially authorized the formation of three new unified brigades.

Kurdistan 24 2023/08/15 17:17

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani shaking hands with members of Peshmerga forces. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan Peshmerga forces Masrour Barzani Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs Coalition forces

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – According to a statement released by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Media and Information, 28 Peshmerga brigades have been unified under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA).

Recently, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani officially authorized the formation of three new unified brigades.

Brigades 26, 28, and 30, which contain approximately 5,400 officers and Peshmerga from Unit 70 (under control of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan [PUK]), have now been designated as the Chief of Staff of the Second Division of the Peshmerga Command.

“Under the directive of the Prime Minister since the inception of the Ninth Cabinet, and with the Coalition Forces' support, the Peshmerga forces’ reforms have been entrusted to a specialized team, which continues to implement these crucial changes,” said Brigadier Hikmat Omar, the Director of Units and Volunteers Affairs at MoPA.

He also pointed out that the unification of Brigades 25 and 27 is nearly complete.

“In line with military regulations and Reform Law 38, our dedicated committees interview all unified forces under MoPA. The objectives are multifold: identifying those ready for retirement, assessing injured or disabled members for proper categorization, and ensuring able-bodied personnel are transitioned under MoPA for the unification objective,” Omar added.

In meetings, the KRG and the International Coalition Forces have frequently professed great progress in reforming, unifying, and institutionalizing Peshmerga forces in recent years.

The unification of all Peshmerga forces is expected to be completed in two years.

Unifying and modernizing the Peshmerga forces is at the core of the reform program of the KRG’s Ninth Cabinet. Furthermore, it is a concept that has in the past been heavily advanced by the Global Coalition against ISIS.

The Kurdish forces, backed by the Coalition, have been fighting the extremist group since 2014. In 2017, they helped territorially defeat ISIS in Iraq. Despite this, ISIS has exhibited a resurgence in the region through small-scale, guerilla warfare tactics in Iraq and Syria.

Previously in June 2023, senior Dutch military advisor Captain Bart van den Heuvel announced a newly formulated plan approved by the Ministry of Peshmerga for the prospective unification of its forces.

The plan would involve a "selection procedure” to be trialed with the 21st Regional Guard Brigades, preferably incorporating new recruits in order to source more contemporary, tolerant mentalities.