Kurdistan Regional Government and Coalition Forces Progress in Unifying 28 Peshmerga Brigades

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in collaboration with the International Coalition Forces, has made significant strides in the past few years towards reforming, unifying, and institutionalising the Peshmerga forces. This initiative aims to bring these forces under the centralised command of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA).

Recently, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani approved the formation of three new unified brigades. These brigades, namely Brigades 26, 28, and 30, which comprise an estimated 5,400 officers and Peshmerga from Units 70, are now operational as the Second Division of the Peshmerga Command's Chief of Staff.

Shedding light on the ongoing reforms, Brigadier Hikmat Omar, the Director of Units and Volunteers Affairs at MoPA, told the KRG’s Department of Media and Information that “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 specialised team, which continues to implement these crucial changes." He highlighted that brigades 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, and 30 have been unified. The unification of brigades 25 and 27 is nearing completion, standing at 90%, and they are set to soon fall completely under MoPA's jurisdiction.

On the topic of the reforms, Brigadier Hikmat elaborated on the meticulous process: "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 categorisation, and ensuring able-bodied personnel are transitioned under MoPA for the unification objective."

As of now, within the purview of the KRG's military reform initiatives, 28 brigades have been successfully unified. The endeavor, overseen by the Coalition Forces and MoPA, is on track to be finalised in the next two years.

Department of Media and Information