PUK, Allies Want Uniting Peshmerga Forces; KDP Divides Them

Reports 10:39 AM - 2023-08-26

Kurdistan flag, a Peshmerga, and PUK logo.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has always supported the unification of Peshmerga forces. In this regard, the PUK President and the Kurdistan Region's Deputy Prime Minister, who is also a member of the PUK, have met with diplomats and representatives of foreign militaries over thirty times to express their support for this cause. Moreover, the PUK and its allies support filling the vacant position of Peshmerga Minister.

 

President Bafel: PUK Supports Unifying Peshmerga

In his latest meeting with General Matthew McFarlane, Commander-in-Chief of the Global Coalition in Iraq and Syria, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani said: "The PUK supports the unification of the Peshmerga forces and wants to build a strong national force to protect Kurdistan, but fairly and without regard to private interests." 

 

PUK supports unifying the Peshmerga forces

Osman Sedari, vice chairman of the Peshmerga Committee in the fifth term of the Kurdistan Parliament, told PUKMEDIA that local and international militaries are pushing for the unification of the Peshmerga forces, but the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has so many side regiments and forces that it does not want them unified.

"In previous cabinets, there were serious efforts to unite the Peshmerga forces, but in this cabinet, not only were the steps not developed, but impediments to the process were created, and those efforts were destroyed," Sedari said. In addition, the KDP is preventing the prime minister from filling the position of Peshmerga Minister for various reasons. 

 

Stubbornness has thrown the region into chaos

The failure to unite the Peshmerga forces has created a threat to the Kurdistan Region's structure, and if the warnings are ignored, the Kurdish nation will face misery.

"If the allies' warnings are ignored, the situation in the Kurdistan Region will not improve," Sedari said. “We lost 51% of the territory of the Kurdistan Region due to stubbornness during the referendum.”

He continued, "The Peshmerga Committee has repeatedly attempted to unite the Peshmerga forces, but our efforts have been ignored." "During the past year, while the Peshmerga Minister was on vacation, the deputy minister committed several illegal acts due to party affiliation and directives."



PUKMEDIA