ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leader of Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) and the former speaker of the Iraqi parliament have expressed increased worry over the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga receiving artillery, arguing the weapons could fuel internal conflicts in disputed areas.
Qais al-Khazali, secretary-general of AAH, said during an Iraqi TV broadcast on Sunday they reject "handing over howitzer artillery to the Peshmerga forces, and [to] any local forces besides the Iraqi army."
In August, the United States delivered a batch of military aid to the Peshmerga.
Khazali, speaking on the anniversary of the group’s establishment, said it is "important to correct this mistake by returning them [the artillery] to the federal army."
AAH is designated as a terrorist organization by Washington because of its alleged ties to Iran and attacks on US and coalition forces.
In addition to Khazali, Mohammed al-Halbousi, the former speaker of the Iraqi parliament, labeled the arms delivery to the Peshmerga as “unconstitutional” on Saturday in an interview on an Iraqi TV broadcast.
The Sunni politician noted previous issues between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), claiming the howitzers’ range covers Kirkuk and Nineveh provinces.
Kirkuk was under joint administration before 2014, when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Kurds held the city until October 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control following the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
“I am not saying they could use it now, but it could be used at any moment…” Halbousi said. “[W]e do not know what will happen in the future.”
Baghdad and Kurdish forces have formed joint brigades and launched joint operations against ISIS to secure disputed areas which are claimed by the federal government and the KRG.
While the artillery is intended for the Peshmerga’s defensive purposes, Halbousi said the weapons could pose a risk to Iraqi forces in disputed areas, because Kurds view it as their land.
On September 15, Halbousi said that arming "local forces" could jeopardize "national communal security in general, and in Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces specifically, if those weapons are misused... in ethnic or factional conflict in the future."
On the same day, Khalida Khalil, spokesperson for the Barzani Headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said that the Peshmerga forces “have not fought to encroach on the rights of other components… they are constitutional, regular forces that defend the rights of their people and the rights of all components without discrimination.”
On Thursday, the Iraqi defense ministry said the US shipment of the howitzers to the Peshmerga was to fulfill an agreement that was signed and approved by the previous cabinet.
The ministry added that the Peshmerga are "a national force whose loyalty to Iraq is unquestionable."
The Iraqi constitution recognizes federal autonomy like the Kurdistan Region and its right to provide security with regional forces like the Peshmerga as part of the national defense apparatus.
The Pentagon and the KRG signed an agreement in 2016 to support the Peshmerga. It was updated in 2022. Additionally, the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2024 includes continued material and budgetary support for the Kurdish forces.
In July, officials from the Kurdistan Region were a part of Iraq’s delegation to Washington to determine the future of the US-led international coalition in the country.
