Colonel Bart Kouwenberg serves as a military advisor for the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil and works on peshmerga reform. “It’s always hard, and you miss your family, but if you have to go somewhere for six months, Erbil is the best place to be,” Kouwenberg told Kurdistan Chronicle. “I also meet the most wonderful people and love Kurdish food.” 

Kouwenberg underscored how one can really feel the enthusiasm for peshmerga reform among the Kurdish population. “A couple of weeks ago we gave the peshmerga course for about 60 students, and there was so much energy and enthusiasm. They’re so proud of their country.”

Importantly, he said that he feels a strong connection to the Kurdish people. “I feel like I’m a little bit Kurdish already, having lived here for five months now.”

Noting that he had a different impression about the natural environment of the Kurdistan Region before arriving, Kouwenberg said, “if you asked me two years ago, it would have been a very different story. When you think of Iraq, your initial impression probably isn’t that it’s very green. Last week, I went to the Korek Mountains and was in the snow.”

Furthermore, Kouwenberg advocated for the Dutch government to extend the duration of the advisory missions for his position to one year, arguing that six months is too short too understand a complex political situation.

“The political environment but also the other countries surrounding the Kurdistan region can be quite difficult to fully comprehend. So I also wrote to my government that maybe a year will be better than six months.”

“There are many varieties of Iraq”

In discussing his daily life, Kouwenberg mentioned that he drives his car and walks around the streets visiting shops, all while dressed in his uniform, something that because of protocols is not possible in Baghdad. “I don’t feel like a target, a feeling I also convey to my family, who trusts my judgment in this sense. So, I feel safe,” he shared.

“That is why I expressed to my government a lot of times the differences within Iraq.  So you cannot compare Baghdad to the Kurdish region. We have many colleagues and diplomats visiting from Baghdad who notice the freedom of movement here in the Kurdistan Region. The ability to travel anywhere by car, you can walk on the streets, and go to restaurants.”

The travel advice of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs distinguishes between the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and the rest of Iraq, marking the Kurdistan Region as orange, where essential travel is permitted when necessary, unlike the rest of Iraq, where citizens are advised not to travel to.

Last year, the Dutch military deployed 145 additional soldiers to Baghdad to support the NATO mission and will take over the command of the NATO mission in May. This while the 120 Dutch troops that were previously based in Erbil under OIR, have left, leaving 5 Dutch soldiers in the Kurdistan Region.

“We are with less Dutch military now in the Kurdistan region.  But I try to stress (to the Dutch government) that we have to help all of Iraq, which also means to keep an eye on the Kurdish region in our military support,” Kouwenberg said.

The Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and the United States are part of the Military Advisory Group (MAG) that works on uniting the partisan Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) 70s Unit and the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s 80s Unit under the command of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.

The peshmerga made massive sacrifices in the fight against ISIS, with 1,800 personnel losing their lives and 10,369 suffering injuries.

As part of the peshmerga reform program, the MAG has 28 projects; some completed by the peshmerga themselves, and others with the help of Western military advisors.

To be sure, political differences between the two ruling Kurdish parties have slowed the reform process, according to a recent report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense.

“The Kurds are the best in the world when it comes to hospitality or friendliness. So, having lived with the Kurdish people, I also really want the best for them,” Kouwenberg added. “Sometimes it’s such a shame that they essentially are fighting each other instead of uniting and making the region stronger, and that’s something that hurts me. I just want the best for them.”

He underscores how crucial the quest is to find the political will to unify the peshmerga. “Without the political support to reform the Peshmerga, it will never happen.”

However, he added, “we are hearing positive signals. It seems everybody is willing to reform, at least in word,” he added.

The Inspector General’s report said that in November 2023, Shoresh Ismail, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs, returned to his position after more than a year out of office due to tensions with PUK leader. “There were too many situations in which people said, we cannot do it now, because there is no minister,” Kouwenberg said. “So, it really helps to have the minister in place now.”

Kouwenberg also noted that he meets with his U.S. colleagues every week about the state of the reform process. “They have been quite positive about it, and believe a lot of progress has been made. Things are even better than last year and the year before.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on February 29 and discussed the reform program as outlined in the September 2022 memorandum signed by the KRG and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Kouwenberg underscored how the reform process is also affected by developments across the Middle East, such as the war in Gaza and the cutting of salaries to the Kurdistan Region in Iraq by Baghdad. “Everything is interconnected. If people are not being paid their salaries that also affects the peshmerga. It’s their family. They will have different things to worry about than your single line of accounting for the peshmerga reform project.”

Air defense

On January 15, 2024, an Iranian ballistic missile attack struck the home of Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee in Erbil, killing four civilians, including a child with dual Dutch-Iraqi nationalities. Iranian proxies have also targeted U.S. military bases in the Kurdistan Region, including near the Erbil airport, endangering the lives of civilians. 

Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot strongly condemned the attack and spoke to her Iranian counterpart.

“It was really sad and hit close to home for my colleagues and me because one of the deceased was a Dutch citizen,” Kouwenberg said.

He added that the Dutch Consul-General Jaco Beerends closely interacted with The Hague, keeping  the Dutch Foreign Ministry of Affairs well informed about what was happening in the Kurdistan Region. 

“We definitely had some strong words with Iran. Even now we have the documents that the Dutch citizen was deceased, so there is no reason for Iran to deny what happened,” Kouwenberg added.

After the Iranian attack, more voices in the Kurdistan Region called on the United States to provide air defenses to the Kurdistan Region. According to the recently approved 2024 U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, the United States will develop a plan to equip Iraqi and Kurdish forces with equipment to defend against such attacks.

Kouwenberg said that the MAG has already received requests to provide air defense systems to the Kurdistan Region.

“Of course, you want your people to be safe, but air defense is mainly there to protect the (Erbil) military base (at the airport) now, not the city. We know that there's a project going on in Iraq to provide for those air defense systems.”

He added that the Kurdistan Region should make the case for Baghdad to provide air defense systems. “They’re also responsible to protect the country as a whole.”

Kouwenberg underlined also that the Netherlands wants a “strong and stable Kurdistan region”, but is also working on other things, such as water management and agriculture, so that the region “flourishes and gives people a good life.”

“The military is only one of the things that helps make a region stable, so we try to do the best we can on economic matters as well.”

With only five weeks left in his stay, Kouwenberg admits to wanting to stay longer. “I realize that a part of me wants to stay here. Of course, I want to go home to see my wife and children, but a part of me wants to stay here because it’s just a great place to be.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg is a seasoned reporter and analyst who specializes in Kurdish affairs, and holds a Master’s degree in Kurdish studies from Exeter University.