Kurdistan Regional Government Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shoresh Ismail Abdulla on Sunday received Brigadier General Kevin Hamm, Director of the Military Advisory Group in Iraq, and underlined that the peshmerga forces need more support.
“During this meeting, we discussed the current situation of the Kurdistan peshmerga forces and the reform phase in the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs,” Abdulla posted on X.
we received General Ham, the Commander-in-Chief of Coalition Forces in Iraq, and his accompanying delegation.
— Shoresh Ismail (@Shoreshismail) November 10, 2024
During this meeting, we importantly discussed the current situation of the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces and the reform phase in the Ministry of Peshmerga. We emphasized:… pic.twitter.com/qIhJDMaJ4m
“We emphasized that the Kurdistan peshmerga forces need more support and backing for the reform process to proceed better and more successfully,” he added.
Regarding the coalition’s support for the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA), Brigadier General Hamm reportedly reaffirmed the continuation of support for peshmerga reform.
“We hope that, with your strong will and determination for reform, the Kurdistan peshmerga forces will become stronger and more institutionalized,” he said.
The @KRG_MOPE Minister in the presence of the deputy minister, received the commander of the #coalition forces in #Iraq, the coordination and relations between the two sides, the MoPA reform process and coalition support for the #Peshmerga forces were discussed. pic.twitter.com/hYkbayANtX
— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) November 10, 2024
Peshmerga soldiers are split between political factions, with 70 units under the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and 80 units under the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Coalition advisors from several countries are supporting the unification of peshmerga forces under the umbrella of the MoPA by 2026.
Read More: Coalition Remains Committed to Advising the Peshmerga: Pentagon
According to the Pentagon’s latest quarterly report to the U.S. Congress, the intent is to reorganize 138,000 personnel from the 70s and 80s units under MoPA command.
The @KRG_MOPE Chief of Staff Met with the commander of the #coalition forces in #Iraq, relations between the two sides and the Counter-terrorism in the region and several other topics were discussed. pic.twitter.com/DCEHoSOweJ
— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) November 10, 2024
