While on my recent visit to Iraqi Kurdistan, I visited several frontline positions of the Peshmerga forces, where they are facing the Iraqi Army and active ISIS cells. Firstly, I visited Brigade 14 headquarters near Dibak, approximately 60 km from the Kurdistan capital, Erbil. There, I met with Brigadier General Almi Mzuri; he is a seasoned soldier who worked in the Iraqi Army for a long time in different senior positions but, in 2014, joined Peshmerga forces to save Kurdistan from ISIS onslaught. General Mzuri fought on other fronts like Baghdad, Fallujah, and Mosul. He advised that his brigade is responsible for the Makhmour sector, including the Qarachoq mountains, and his units are very vigilant as there is constant movement of ISIS cells. From the Brigade HQ, I continued visiting the Peshmerga border posts in the Qarachoq mountains. I was amazed to see that in addition to 24-hour manual observation by the soldiers, advanced electronic surveillance, such as HD CCTV cameras with night vision capabilities, was also done. On all the border outposts I visited, one thing I found in common was that Peshmerga soldiers, despite lacking heavy weapons, are highly motivated and determined to finish off ISIS remnants.
The Peshmerga, meaning “those who face death”, are the armed forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Peshmerga has a long history of fighting and resistance. First, it was against the British colonial administration and then against the Iraqi central government. It continued years of guerrilla warfare with the advantages offered by northern Iraq’s mountainous terrain and weather conditions. Its members developed a reputation as fearsome fighters in decades-long battles against Saddam Hussein’s armies, especially his elite force, the “Republican Guards.” The Peshmerga is a highly effective and well-trained military force that defends Kurdistan and North Iraq. We know that when the Iraqi military melted away after putting up only minimal resistance to ISIS in 2014, it was the Peshmerga alone that stopped the expansion of the Islamic State and even rolled it back. The Peshmerga is a proven humanitarian force that provides security to all ethnicities and is also an integral partner in the fight against terrorism. During the US-led invasion of Iraq, the Peshmerga helped the United States in their mission to capture Saddam Hussein. They also captured Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden’s messenger Hassan Ghul in 2004. For the decade since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the US poured billions of dollars into training the Iraqi Army, while the Peshmerga was not provided with the sophisticated weaponry for fears it would accelerate Kurdish moves towards secession. But now it is Peshmerga only, which delivers results on the ground. But looking back to years when Peshmerga forces did not enjoy the training or funds given to the Iraqi Army, things could have been quite different if they had been paid attention.
The Iraqi Federal government invests way more resources in Popular Mobilization Forces, AKA Ḥashd ash-Shaʿbī than in Peshmerga. Even though the Peshmerga play a proactive role in securing Iraq, the PMF has often tried to get Iraq involved in an external conflict. PMF units, which were formed to combat ISIS in 2014, are loyal primarily to Iran. They have also built up a much vaster arsenal than the Peshmerga has ever had, including drones, cruise missiles, and even short-range ballistic missiles. They have fired several of the former at Israel during the present Israel-Hamas war. Such attacks run the risk of dragging Iraq into ongoing wider regional conflict, which most Iraqis do not want. Meanwhile, the Peshmerga is continuing anti-ISIS cooperation with the Iraqi Army in the disputed territories. They are currently working together to plug the security gaps that have existed between them since 2017, which ISIS remnants have repeatedly exploited. The constructive cooperation is another example of how the Peshmerga is a factor in Iraq’s stability and contributes to its security.
Ideally, Peshmerga troops operating in joint brigades with the Iraqi Army against ISIS in the disputed territories should have access to some of the more advanced equipment operated by the Iraqi Army, such as tanks and artillery. But instead of assisting, Baghdad is trying to block any arms transfer to Erbil by the United States-led international coalition. At the very least, Baghdad should not oppose or hinder the US from supplying drones, artillery, or anything else that would enhance the Kurdish force’s capabilities against ISIS and bolster Iraqi Kurdistan’s security against other threats like drones and rockets. Short-range air defences are essential for protecting critical infrastructure in Iraqi Kurdistan, such as the Khor Mor gas field, from aerial attacks. It is not that Peshmerga doesn’t have any internal problems. While I was conducting an interview with Mr Shoresh Ismail, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs in Kurdistan’s capital Erbil I was advised that they are taking all the required steps to address them. The Peshmerga forces have undergone comprehensive modernization and unification since 2019. The reforms aim to transform traditionally party-affiliated units into a unified professional military force under the direct command of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. The Kurds realized that in the long term, the Peshmerga would get greater international assistance and more advanced weapons only if all the units of Peshmerga are united under the ministry. No one will ever call the Peshmerga a militia again if they are fully under the command of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
Kurdistan is the most convenient and safe base for the anti-ISIS coalition anywhere in the region. That is why, previously, over half the senators in the US Congress voted to arm the Kurds directly. In the past, Kurds were considered a destabilizing element in the Middle East, challenging the status quo. Seemingly forgotten by the international community until 2014, these heroic forces have made the world realize their essential contribution to stabilizing the region and fighting radical Islamists. It is high time that the Peshmerga, who are all-weather friends of the US-led international coalition, should be supported and strengthened.