Ministry of Peshmerga discuss Peshmerga reform with UK military advisors

"Today, I had a good meeting with Col Rob Driver, Wing Comm Jonathan Young and Mr. Zana." 
Peshmerga Brigadier General, Col. Hazhar Omar Zangana, met with UK military advisors on Sunday, June 5, 2022 (Photo: Ministry of Peshmerga)
Peshmerga Brigadier General, Col. Hazhar Omar Zangana, met with UK military advisors on Sunday, June 5, 2022 (Photo: Ministry of Peshmerga)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Peshmerga Brigadier General Hazhar Omar Zangana, the senior military advisor of the Ministry of Peshmerga, received Colonel Rob Driver, the chief adviser of the British forces in the Kurdistan Region, and an accompanying delegation on Sunday. 

"Today, I had a good meeting with Col Rob Driver, Wing Comm Jonathan Young and Mr. Zana," Zangana tweeted. 

"Establishing Two Divisions, preparation for a high-level meeting between (MoPA, 70th and 80th forces) in this Month, and UK MoD to open a virtual course for Peshmerga leaders were discussed."

In a statement, the Ministry of Peshmerga said the "guest delegation also showed the readiness of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense to open an online military strategic course for the senior commanders of the Ministry of Peshmerga this month."

"Peshmerga is a highly effective fighting force," Britain's Consul General David Hunt told Kurdistan 24 on the sidelines of Queen Elizabeth II's 96th birthday celebrations organized by the British consulate in Erbil on May 26. 

He added that the reforms and cooperation will continue in the future. 

The Netherlands, the US, the UK, and Germany form the unique 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).

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As part of those efforts, Kurdish leaders earlier decided to put heavy support units of the KDP's Unit 80 and the PUK's Unit 70 under the Ministry of Peshmerga's command.