Kurdish leaders formalize Peshmerga unification under ministry control in Erbil ceremony
At a ceremony in Erbil, Kurdistan Region leaders said all Peshmerga units are now under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, appointed new regional commanders and insisted no forces will operate outside the ministry. They describe the reform as a major national step toward building unified Kurdish institutions.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s leadership has formally announced what it says is the unification of its Peshmerga forces under a single chain of command.
At a ceremony in Erbil, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shoresh Ismael were joined by Iraqi officials and foreign diplomats to mark the change. The event was billed as the moment when separate Peshmerga formations were brought fully under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Nechirvan Barzani called the move “an important step” and stressed that no forces will operate outside the Peshmerga Ministry. He described the unification process as “a great national step” toward building Kurdistan’s national institutions and said political parties should not control armed units.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the unification of the Peshmerga forces had long been a demand of his government and of citizens across the Kurdistan Region. He said all forces had been brought under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and unified within what he described as a modern military structure that covers operations, training, leadership and control, communications and administration. He said political and party affiliations should not determine how these forces are organized.
To reinforce the new command structure, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani appointed Lt. Gen. Najat Ali Saleh as Commander of Regional Command One and Staff Lt. Gen. Omar Saleh Hassan as Commander of Regional Command Two within the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
For fighters and officers, the changes are meant to translate into a more standardized system of command, training and logistics. For Baghdad and foreign partners, a unified Peshmerga under a ministry offers a clearer counterpart for security coordination and assistance.
The key test now is whether units on the ground follow the new framework in practice and whether armed formations previously linked to political parties are fully integrated under the ministry’s authority.
Indicators to watch will include how quickly the new regional commands take control of day‑to‑day operations, whether parallel chains of command quietly persist, and how the Iraqi federal government and international partners structure their military cooperation with the Peshmerga in light of the announced reform.
Sources
- OSINT