Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Sept. 21 announced the “historic” unification of the Peshmerga forces under the command of the Peshmerga Affairs Ministry, bringing an end to decades of division between forces loyal to the region’s two main Kurdish political parties.
The Peshmerga, meaning “those who face death,” are Kurdish armed forces based in northern Iraq. They have historically fought against forces loyal to successive central governments in Baghdad and, following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, were recognized as part of Iraq’s national security forces.
Despite the establishment of a Peshmerga Affairs Ministry, the forces had remained divided along political lines, with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) maintaining separate chains of command, logistical structures and political loyalties.
Previous attempts to unify the forces repeatedly stalled despite public pressure, while bringing the Peshmerga under a unified command has remained a key U.S. demand as part of military reform efforts in the Kurdistan region.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the Peshmerga, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani attended a ceremony in Erbil marking the move on Sept. 21, along with senior Peshmerga commanders and representatives of the Iraqi federal government.
“With this important step, no force will remain outside the framework of the Peshmerga ministry,” Nechirvan Barzani said in a speech.
The move comes as Baghdad has also stepped up efforts in recent months to assert the state’s monopoly over arms and push for the disarmament of armed groups operating outside state control.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Sept. 21 said that Baghdad aims to complete the disarmament of militias by June 2027, setting a deadline for bringing the country’s powerful armed factions under government control.
