Two new infantry divisions formed, including unified units within Peshmerga Ministry

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday announced the formation of two new infantry divisions of Peshmerga forces, including the unified units of the Kurdish forces.

The announcement was made in a ceremony attended by the Kurdish president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, foreign diplomats based in the Region, as well as other senior officials. The commander of the international coalition against ISIS, General Matthew McFarlane, also participated at the event.

The infantry divisions include four brigades, consisting of 1,200 members of the Peshmerga forces that come from the unified units as the result of the Coalition-backed reform program, President Barzani said in the speech he delivered. He expressed his congratulations on the new formations.

Along with their Kurdish comrades, the forces include members of the Arab, Yezidi, and Christian communities, Barzani said, adding greater religious and ethnic representations must be included among Peshmerga forces.

Despite the political challenges, the reform program has progressed, unifying the Supporting Forces of 1 and 2, as well as 20 brigades that were previously under the command of the party forces, Barzani said.

The Kurdish president extended his gratitude to the US and the international coalition for the support they have provided to the Peshmerga.

Unifying and modernizing Peshmerga forces are at the core of the reform program of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ninth cabinet, which the international coalition against ISIS has supported. 

The Kurdish forces, backed by the coalition, defeated ISIS in 2017,  and have been fighting the extremist group since 2014.