Steps taken to unite Peshmerga forces: Advisor

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior Dutch military advisor to the Ministry of Peshmerga affairs on Monday told Rudaw that efforts to unite the Peshmerga forces are ongoing, with party controlled brigades taking steps to join the ministry.

"Both sides are really willing to cooperate with the international advisory group, especially we see a lot of interaction from the Seventy side, and Seventy are very very clear on trying to move as many brigades as possible into the MOPA (Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs)," Captain Bart van den Heuvel, a senior Dutch military advisor to the Ministry of Peshmerga, told Rudaw's Bestoon Othman.

"We definitely see good signs from the Eighty side as well," he said, adding that there is good movement in the process.

Although the Peshmerga forces are under the authority of the Peshmerga ministry, the force’s two largest units are divided among the PUK and the KDP.

Unit 70 forces are affiliated with the PUK and Unit 80 forces are controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), making up the majority of the Peshmerga forces, numbering over 100,000 troops.

The global coalition serves as an advisory role to the ministry, offering training and equipment to the brigades, as well as overlooking the reform process of ministry.

Over the past few years, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has put the unification of the Peshmerga forces on its agenda, and while reasonable steps have been taken towards unification and a number of brigades controlled by the PUK and the KDP have been added to the ministry, many remain to do so.