Erbil’s announcement that it would unify the Peshmerga forces under a single ministry has opened a path towards ending the historic military division in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, alongside federal government efforts to place weapons under state control.
Merging Units 80 and 70 into a single institution
The move raises the possibility of drawing on the experience of unifying Kurdish forces to address the multiplicity of armed groups in Baghdad, amid differing positions among factions on surrendering their weapons and joining state institutions. The unification process includes merging Unit 80, affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Unit 70, affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
Writer and political analyst Kifah Mahmoud described the development as a historic achievement that closes a division dating back to 1976, following the setback of Mullah Mustafa Barzani’s revolution, and lays the groundwork for removing the region’s military institution from party competition.
Mahmoud said technical committees had begun working in 2016 to narrow differences, with support from the international coalition and the United States, France, Britain and Germany. He added that the war against Islamic State and the repercussions of the referendum delayed the process, before it gained serious momentum over the past four years with the aim of establishing a national army and ending the military institution’s links to disputes between the parties.
Mahmoud expected the political will that led to unification to carry over into other domestic issues in the region, including activating parliament, finalising the formation of the 10th government, delayed by more than a year, and addressing the financial crisis and pensions.
He stressed that the vast majority of Peshmerga members do not hold narrow party affiliations, noting that senior officers are nearing retirement age and that a new generation could replace them. The political analyst said Erbil’s experience offered a lesson to the factions he described as “rebellious” in Baghdad, encouraging an end to what is known as “uncontrolled weapons”, as well as the economic offices and private prisons belonging to those factions.
Unification supports defence coordination between Erbil and Baghdad
He also said unification was likely to support relations between Erbil and Baghdad and strengthen unified defence decision-making in coordination with the federal government, citing the attendance of the director of the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, at the unification announcement. For his part, Talib Mohammed Karim, a professor of political thought at Al-Mustansiriyah University, linked the timing of the announcement to the approaching 30 September and Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi’s address to the United Nations.
He said the move met the aspirations of the international community and removed the pretexts used by armed factions to evade the demand that weapons be placed under state control. Al-Zaydi’s government had set a deadline for armed factions to hand over their weapons and join state institutions, revealing differences in their positions.
He explained that the Kurdish forces have a legal basis in Article 121, Fifth, of the constitution, as the “region’s guards whose history is defined by fighting dictatorship”, distinguishing their legal status from that of the armed factions in Baghdad.
Different legal status of the Peshmerga and Baghdad factions
He added that the factions in Baghdad consist of multiple blocs, some of which have declared their acceptance of the state’s monopoly on force, while the government needs to continue its dialogue with the others. National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji had said that this process would require more time, while Karim said it needed studies to regulate how members would be integrated and determine the future of the factions’ political and executive leaders.
Karim identified the main challenge facing the Kurdistan Region as moving the unification announcement from the level of political and media rhetoric to actual implementation through mobilisation and education programmes and unified reporting.
According to his proposal, these measures aim to prevent the forces from fragmenting again when any political dispute erupts, and to ensure that the centre of power shifts from party pluralism to a single official institution, reinforcing the constitutional concept of the state’s monopoly on force.
Washington welcomes unification of Peshmerga command
On the US position, Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, said President Donald Trump’s administration welcomed the unification of Peshmerga command and its control system, particularly as Washington moves to reduce its military presence in Iraq after Islamic State was defeated. He expected the United States to continue providing assistance and training and strengthening its partnership with the Peshmerga and federal forces.
Clarke expressed concern, however, that the US administration’s preoccupation with its conflict with Iran and regional security challenges could distract political attention from Peshmerga unification.
He said monitoring of the issue was likely to decline in favour of other priorities, or later become confined to the remit of the US State Department.
