Peshmerga minister returns to post citing regional instability

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga Minister Shoresh Ismail resumed his duties on Monday after absenting the post for over a year, citing the region’s political and military instability as the reason for the return. He called on the ruling political parties in the Kurdistan Region to enhance cooperation in order to continue the Peshmerga reform process.

“The region is going through a very sensitive political and military situation and there is a serious threat, so this poor condition of the Peshmerga ministry is a matter of concern for all of us, especially the coalition forces and the Kurdish people,” Ismael told reporters during a presser, adding “because of my sense of responsibility for the situation and for the interests of the Peshmerga forces and to further institutionalize the Peshmerga ministry, I am resuming my work starting from today.”

Unhappy with political parties interfering in the Peshmerga Ministry’s affairs, Ismail, from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), submitted his resignation from the position late last year, but the resignation was not accepted by the Region’s Council of Ministers.

Ismael stated that they will continue working together “as a team” within the Peshmerga ministry to proceed with the reform process, claiming that there is now a “favorable environment” to go forward with the reorganization and unification of the Peshmerga forces.

Turmoil in the Peshmerga ministry between fronts affiliated to rivals Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK have jeopardized a Western-backed effort to reform the ministry with the hope of bringing all units under its umbrella, as some units are still affiliated to the ruling parties.

The minister urged the United States and the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) to continue supporting and advising the Peshmerga forces as the threat of “a terrorist reemergence” remains a major threat.

International partners, particularly the US, have long warned Kurdish authorities that they risk seeing support and funds for the Peshmerga withdrawn if they fail to bring party-affiliated Units 70 and 80 forces under the umbrella of the Peshmerga ministry.

Unit 70 forces are affiliated with the PUK and Unit 80 forces are controlled by the KDP, and they make up the majority of the Peshmerga forces, numbering over 100,000 troops.

Kurdistan Region President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Nechirvan Barzani welcomed Ismail’s return to his post, calling it an “important” step towards the implementation of the Peshmerga reforms.

“Given the current situation in the Kurdistan Region and the challenges faced by Iraq and the wider region, it is imperative for the political parties, particularly the PUK and KDP, to be united and come to a shared understanding in order to find effective solutions to disagreements. As the Kurdistan Region Presidency, we are committed to continuing our efforts towards this goal,” read a statement from President Barzani.

Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, who accompanied Ismail back into the ministry building on Monday, said that he was “optimistic” about the minister’s return, adding that he stressed during his meeting with Peshmerga ministry officials that “it is normal for political parties to have differences, but it is not normal for the political differences to be reflected within the Peshmerga ministry.”