Peshmerga commanders of unit 70 forces controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and unit 80 forces controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are to meet on Monday with the President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani to discuss the worsening security situation and ongoing threats from ISIS, Mustafa Chawrash, commander of Peshmerga 70 forces told Rudaw’s Snwr Majid on Sunday.
Since the territorial defeat of ISIS in late 2017, international coalition partners have pushed for the unification of Kurdish forces under the Peshmerga Ministry as part of a reform program that began in 2018.
“The Kurdish leadership needs to sit down and not differentiate between 70 and 80 forces of Peshmerga,” said Chawrash.
“Both sides are ready for coordination. Our enemy is one enemy. Iraq also looks at us as all the same.” If the two units can overcome their differences, “we can work as a team,” he added.
The 70 and 80 units make up the majority of the Peshmerga forces, numbering over 100,000. There are also 16 brigades, with over 30,000 soldiers in their ranks, under the command of the Peshmerga Ministry.
The meeting between the KDP and PUK forces comes after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi held a security meeting on Sunday with commanders of the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces to discuss coordination between them “in areas of joint responsibility” as well as “security plans to confront and limit security breaches, and extend security and stability throughout the country” to counter ISIS movements.
There are security vacuums in territories disputed by Iraq’s central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, including areas in Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala provinces. The lack of security has created fertile ground for the resurfacing of ISIS.
Chawrash noted that multiple meetings have been held between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, under the supervision of the international coalition, to discuss coordination in these disputed territories, but said failures in Baghdad to put plans into action have contributed to increasing attacks by the militants.
The two forces agreed in July 2020 to establish a joint coordination office, but have carried out limited joint operations since.
“Agreements have been made to establish a base in those places for coordination between us and the Iraqi army, they would even sign and stamp it, but it never gets implemented,” said Chawrash.
This security void is the reason why ISIS was able to carry out its deadly Saturday attack on the Peshmerga on the Erbil-Kirkuk road, he added.
“We are ready for every coordination with the Iraqi army… because it’s our land, we know it better,” he said.
ISIS on Sunday also claimed responsibility for an attack on Iraqi security forces north of Baghdad that killed at least four.
Chawrash said a lack of advanced equipment is another challenge they face. Acknowledging that the US-led coalition against ISIS has helped with millions of dollars’ worth of military aid, he said they have requested more advanced weaponry.
“They promise us, but what is done is very limited, because today’s fight is not an AK-47 fight. These things are not weapons. New technology has been invented,” said the Peshmerga commander.
