ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds of Kurdish Peshmerga forces assigned to joint brigades with the Iraqi Army have been waiting for more than a year to receive their official appointments and begin their duties, a senior Peshmerga official told Rudaw on Sunday, attributing the delay to a lack of political agreements and financial allocations.
Brigadier General Abdulstar Yassin Zebari, the Kurdistan Region's representative in the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) - which reports directly to the commander-in-chief of armed forces, the Iraqi premier - said “the paperwork for the employment of these Peshmerga [personnel] is with the JOC,” adding that the delay in their assumption of duties “is a financial issue.”
In August 2021, Erbil’s Peshmerga ministry - equivalent to a defense ministry - and the Iraqi Army reached an agreement to form two joint brigades to be deployed in areas with security vacuums between federal and regional jurisdictions. These areas are often exploited by Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells to carry out attacks on security forces and local residents.
The full implementation of the decision, however, was delayed due to political turmoil that followed Iraq’s 2021 legislative election and a lack of funding from the federal government.
Each of the two brigades comprises some 3,500 personnel, while 442 new Peshmerga are still awaiting a final decision to join the brigades.
Several Peshmerga personnel nominated to join the brigades told Rudaw on Sunday that they submitted their employment applications in 2023 and, in July 2024, underwent interviews and biometric procedures at the Kirkush Military Training Base (KMTB) in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province. Since then, however, they have received no response other than being told to “wait.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one Peshmerga said, “During the Iraqi parliamentary elections [on November 9], we voted in the special polling alongside the military forces, yet we still have not received our salaries.”
Moreover, the personnel told Rudaw that they already have approval from the federal finance ministry but are still waiting for an order from the Iraqi defense ministry to begin training.
Brigadier General Zebari stated, however, that “financial approval is still pending, which is why they have not started their duties. Funds must be allocated to enroll them, and only then will they commence service.”
He further noted that disputes between Erbil and Baghdad have also delayed the employment of these Peshmerga, stating, “For this issue to be resolved quickly, it requires a mutual understanding between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad.”