President Barzani: Peshmerga must remain above party politics
Shafaq News- Erbil
Kurdistan Region (KRI) President Nechirvan Barzani said the Peshmerga are part of Iraq's defense system and that closer coordination with the Iraqi army strengthens the country as a whole.
In remarks during the Peshmerga unification ceremony on Monday, Barzani said the presence of General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, director of the office of Iraq's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, demonstrated the importance of coordination between the two forces, adding that strengthening the Peshmerga's capabilities and its cooperation with Iraqi forces "represents strength for all of Iraq."
He called on the Iraqi government to support the Peshmerga and ensure their rights are fully guaranteed.
The ceremony coincided with the fourth anniversary of the 2022 renewal of a memorandum of understanding between the US Department of Defense and the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. Barzani thanked Washington for its "continuous and full support" to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, particularly in the war against ISIS.
President Nechirvan Barzani affirms that the unified Peshmerga force is part of federal Iraq’s defense system, with stronger coordination serving the security of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole.
— Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) September 21, 2026
A Force Above Party Politics
"The Peshmerga must not become an arena for settling party and political scores," Barzani said, adding that while parties compete in elections and hold differing positions, as is normal in any democracy, the Peshmerga stand above such calculations.
“The Peshmerga … are not the force of a political party; they are the force of Kurdistan,” the president said, describing it as tasked with protecting every community in the region, including Kurds, Turkmen, Christians, Yazidis, and Arabs. He called on all parties to respect it, avoid interfering in its affairs, and allow it to carry out its duties.
He said the unity Peshmerga fighters showed on the front line must extend to training, duties, rights, promotion, and military doctrine.
Reform And International Support
Barzani thanked former Kurdistan Region President and KDP leader Masoud Barzani for his role in launching the Peshmerga reform process in 2016.
He also thanked KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, former Peshmerga ministers Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa and Mustafa Sayed Qadir, and the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and its officers.
He praised the Global Coalition and partner states, including Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and France, for their support during the war on ISIS and in the reform, training, and restructuring that followed.
Barzani credited the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, along with the will of the people of Kurdistan, for the process.
