ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States has reiterated its commitment to the ongoing efforts to reform the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, reaffirming its support for a secure and prosperous Kurdistan Region.
In a statement on X, Washington’s mission in Erbil reported that the US Consul General in Erbil Gwendolyn Green on Wednesday met with officials from the Region to “assess the progress of the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding” signed between Erbil and Washington.
“Both sides reiterated commitment to Peshmerga reform efforts,” the statement noted, adding that “the US stands with the Kurdistan Region to build a safer and more prosperous region for all.”
Signed in September 2022, the agreement outlines US military and security assistance to the Kurdistan Region’s armed forces, the Peshmerga. It underlines Washington’s ongoing support for the Peshmerga in rooting out remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq.
The MoU further emphasizes the importance of internal reforms within the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga ministry, including the unification of the Peshmerga forces.
The US statement notably comes only days after the KRG said it is pushing for the expedition of reforms within the Peshmerga ministry, especially the unification of the Kurdish forces.
In a statement, the KRG reported that Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani chaired a key meeting on Monday “to review progress and accelerate ongoing reforms” within the Peshmerga ministry, stressing “the importance of completing the reform process” to ensure “its long-term success.”
The Monday meeting produced a series of “key decisions” designed to “expedite reforms,” the KRG said, including an agreement to “move forward with restructuring and reorganizing the Peshmerga forces.”
For years, the KRG has sought to unify its various military units into a single, professional, and depoliticized national force. This initiative has received strong backing from international partners, especially the US and its allies from the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS.
Central to the effort is the integration of Unit 70 and Unit 80 - affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), respectively - into a unified command structure. Together, these units comprise the bulk of the Peshmerga, totaling over 100,000 troops.
Despite consistent international support, the unification process has faced recurring obstacles.
Between 2010 and 2013, approximately 42,000 fighters from Unit 70 and Unit 80 were merged, resulting in the formation of 14 brigades. However, progress stalled amid internal political disputes and the outbreak of war against ISIS in 2014. In 2018, the process was revived through a 35-point reform plan developed with coalition partners.
In July, Babakir Zebari, former chief of staff of Iraq’s Army and advisor to the Kurdistan Region’s presidency, told Rudaw that the Peshmerga unification had entered its final phase and would be completed by the end of the year.