Masrour Barzani Orders Push to Secure Peshmerga Financial Entitlements in Iraq’s 2027 Budget

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has instructed the regional Finance and Economy Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) high-level negotiating team to work toward securing the full financial entitlements of Peshmerga forces under Iraq’s federal budget, including salaries, allowances, training, equipment, and development projects.

The KRG Department of Media and Information announced the directive on Wednesday, which aims to ensure that the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces receive their financial rights through the federal budget framework.

According to an official letter from the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers’ Presidency, numbered 12649 and dated Oct. 6, 2026, the Kurdistan Region has a share in the budget allocated for sovereign expenditures through its share of Iraq’s federal budget. Those expenditures, the letter emphasizes, include funding for the Peshmerga forces.

The directive calls for the issue to be addressed during negotiations over Iraq’s 2027 federal budget, with the objective of securing Peshmerga salaries, allowances, and all other financial entitlements on an equal basis with their counterparts in the Iraqi federal government.

The proposed arrangements also cover projects, training programs, and equipment for the Peshmerga, extending the request beyond routine salary payments to include broader operational and institutional requirements.

KRG Seeks Peshmerga Funding Through Federal Budget Negotiations

The directive places the Peshmerga’s financial entitlements among the issues the KRG intends to pursue during preparations for Iraq’s 2027 budget, highlighting the regional government’s efforts to establish a more consistent funding framework for its security forces.

Under the instruction, the Finance and Economy Ministry and the regional negotiating team are expected to coordinate their efforts to incorporate Peshmerga expenditures into the federal budget’s sovereign spending framework.

The letter also calls for close coordination with Kurdish parliamentary blocs in Baghdad to advocate for the request throughout the preparation, negotiation, and approval stages of the 2027 federal budget.

This coordination is intended to ensure that Kurdish representatives pursue a unified position in discussions with federal authorities over the financial provisions affecting the Kurdistan Region’s security forces.

Peshmerga Funding Remains a Key Federal-Regional Issue

The financing of the Peshmerga is part of the broader financial relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s federal government, which has repeatedly faced disputes over budget allocations, public-sector salaries, and the distribution of financial responsibilities.

Securing predictable funding for the Peshmerga would have implications beyond the payment of salaries. Financing for training, equipment, and development projects is also important to maintaining operational readiness and supporting the long-term institutional development of the forces.

The KRG’s latest directive seeks to use the 2027 budget negotiations to establish the financial entitlements of the Peshmerga within the federal spending framework. However, the extent to which the request will be reflected in the final budget will depend on negotiations with Baghdad and the budget’s eventual approval.

The Department of Media and Information published the directive as part of the regional government’s efforts to advance the financial claims of the Peshmerga forces in the upcoming budget process.