Al-Zaidi Congratulates Kurdistan on Historic Peshmerga Unification Milestone
At a Glance
- The Iraqi Prime Minister congratulated Kurdistan on completing the Peshmerga unification under the ministry.
- Al-Zaidi hailed the step as a major milestone for strengthening national security and institutional governance.
- The Kurdistan Region finalized the structural unification of the Peshmerga under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs today.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi congratulated the Kurdistan Region on the complete unification of the Peshmerga under the ministry, calling it a major step toward strengthening national security and institutional governance.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- The Iraqi Prime Minister stated, “We congratulate our people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the courageous Peshmerga on the completion of the unification of its formations under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.”
- Al-Zaidi stated that the step bolsters “national security and reinforces institutional governance.”
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stated on Monday that unifying security and military forces within constitutional frameworks is essential for the country’s stability.
He emphasized that strengthening coordination among all branches of the Iraqi Armed Forces remains a top priority.
Al-Zaidi further noted that this integration represents a vital step toward "consolidating our national security and ensuring unity in our defense decision-making."
FYI
The Kurdistan Region officially announced the historic unification of the Peshmerga forces under a single national structure and under the umbrella of the Peshmerga Ministry during a ceremony in Erbil today.
The event was attended by top Kurdish leadership, federal Iraqi military representatives, and Coalition advisors.
The reform process began in 2016 to depoliticize Kurdistan's military by dissolving the separate partisan commands of the PUK's Unit 70 and the KDP's Unit 80. The initiative was heavily driven by a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Department of Defense, which conditioned vital coalition funding and military aid on a strict September 2026 unification deadline.
The structural reorganization establishes Regional Command One and Regional Command Two, dividing the unified military forces geographically while placing all active personnel within a newly finalized framework of 11 infantry divisions.
During today’s official ceremony, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani described the Peshmerga unification as a historic step toward building a unified national force, urging that the military be completely insulated from political rivalries and partisan interference.
Peshmerga Affairs Minister Shoresh Ismail highlighted the end of separate factional control, declaring that the region has successfully established a "modern, professional, unified national army."
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also addressed the ceremony and characterized the step as a historic milestone marking the transition into a new phase focused on military modernization, securing advanced defense capabilities, and ensuring the Peshmerga operates as a unified national force above partisan politics.
KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani declared the complete structural unification of the Peshmerga forces under the ministry a historic first step, highlighting that the military must remain insulated from partisan politics while urging Baghdad to secure their constitutional financial rights and salary equalization.
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