2026-05-08T21:49:56+00:00
Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
Despite years of US-backed restructuring efforts, the Peshmerga remain divided between forces loyal to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), with genuine unification still unrealized, former Peshmerga Ministry Secretary-General Jabar Yawar said Wednesday.
The Peshmerga have long been split between forces affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), despite years of US-backed efforts to unify the command structure under the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Yawar indicated that true unification cannot be imposed through external pressure, but must come from an internal political conviction that party-controlled forces are no longer necessary.
He warned that maintaining partisan armed units preserves the risk of internal conflict, adding that real reform requires changing military doctrine so fighters serve the Kurdistan Region rather than political parties. “What has been achieved so far is organizational unification only,” Yawar told Shafaq News, noting that integration has yet to reach the level of a unified military identity.
On military assistance, Yawar pointed to Article 121 of Iraq’s constitution, which allows the Kurdistan Region to request its share of arms as part of Iraq’s broader defense system. He added that disputes over US weapons deliveries could be resolved through direct coordination between Erbil and Baghdad.
Yawar also cautioned against long-term dependence on Washington, urging stronger coordination with Iraq’s federal government instead of relying on external pressure or initiatives. US military aid to the Peshmerga began in 2016 under an agreement with the Pentagon during the war against ISIS, he noted, adding that support reached around $450 million at a time when Baghdad had suspended budget transfers to the Kurdistan Region.
He indicated that the situation has since changed with the resumption of salary payments by the federal government, arguing that recent reductions in US support likely reflect Washington’s broader policy of scaling back foreign assistance rather than dissatisfaction over stalled unification efforts.
Yawar concluded that lasting reform requires a unified internal decision to build a professional military force representing all citizens of the Kurdistan Region rather than partisan interests.
Source: Shafaq News
