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Peshmerga unity depends on healing political divisions

Corruption and tribalism are two of the obstacles blocking the unification of Kurdish peshmerga forces.
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The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) peshmerga forces are lacking a unified command. Rather, the peshmerga, which played a key role in defeating the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq alongside the US-led global coalition, is receiving commands from the Kurdish ruling parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This raises concerns that the peshmerga will be exploited in political disputes.

“Peshmerga forces must be free of political influence and remain neutral during party disputes,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said Nov. 12. “The Kurdistan Region needs an armed national force that has modern discipline and principles.”

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