ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The unification process of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces could be completed before 2026, a ministry official said on Thursday, emphasizing ongoing reforms and international support for the effort. “The process in 2026, maybe even before that, may be finished,” Abdulkhaliq Babiri, undersecretary of the Peshmerga ministry, told Rudaw’s Ranja Jamal. He said that the US-led international coalition's logistical, equipment, and financial support for the Peshmerga "continues” and expressed gratitude, with Washington having agreed to support the process until 2026. “The reform and reorganization process of the Peshmerga forces is going very well,” Babiri said. Earlier this month, a delegation from the Kurdistan Region held a broad meeting with a joint US military and diplomatic delegation to discuss Peshmerga reforms. “The Peshmerga ministry is in a reform process and this process is very important for unifying and reorganizing the Peshmerga forces,” Babiri said. In late December, the Peshmerga ministry announced plans to establish two operations command centers comprising 11 military divisions as part of ongoing efforts to reform and unify the Kurdistan Region’s forces. The US has provided the Peshmerga with multiple rounds of military aid over the years. Despite efforts by Washington and several European countries, the Peshmerga remains a highly partisan force in organization and loyalty, split between the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and its rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Unit 70 forces are affiliated with the PUK and Unit 80 forces are controlled by the KDP. These two units make up the majority of the Peshmerga forces, amounting to over 100,000 troops. Unification of the Peshmerga forces has been on the agenda of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for several years, and while some progress has been made and a number of brigades controlled by the PUK and the KDP have been added to the ministry, much work remains to be done.
