Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Region (KRI)’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs expressed concern on Monday over the approaching end of the US-led Coalition’s military mission in Iraq, warning that the KRI’s lack of an adequate air-defense system poses a security risk.

The pullout is part of a two-phase transition agreed by Baghdad and Washington in 2024. Coalition forces left Baghdad and Ain al-Asad Air Base during the first phase in 2025, while a contingent remained in the Kurdistan Region and is scheduled to end on Sept. 30.

The ministry said the timing was particularly concerning given the security threats facing the Kurdistan Region. According to its figures, the KRI was targeted by more than 1,000 drones and ballistic missiles during the recent US-Iran war, with some strikes hitting civilian areas, causing casualties and property damage.

It stressed that the Kurdistan Region’s airspace is part of Iraq’s national airspace and that protecting it, when necessary, is therefore the responsibility of the federal government.

The ministry added that the Peshmerga, as part of Iraq’s broader defense system, maintain a constitutional and security relationship with the Iraqi armed forces and would continue coordinating with them. “Peshmerga forces remain prepared for new security developments and capable of responding to threats.”

The warning echoes concerns raised by Kurdistan Region officials about security arrangements after the Coalition mission ends, particularly the protection of the airspace and strategic infrastructure.

Read more: Iraq caught between US-Iran war and September 30 deadline

Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), has separately warned that the departure of US forces could create a security vacuum like the one that preceded the rise of ISIS.

In an interview with Al Sharqiya TV, Barzani recalled debates in Baghdad in 2011 over whether Iraq should reach a security agreement with Washington or allow US forces to leave. Iraqi defense and interior officials acknowledged at the time that the country's forces were not fully prepared to provide security without outside support, he said.

US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011. Three years later, ISIS seized large areas of the country, prompting Baghdad to seek military assistance from the United States and other international partners.

“I am afraid of the same scenario,” Barzani said, while acknowledging that Iraq’s security situation today differs from that of 2011.

PM Masrour Barzani told the Financial Times that the withdrawal of US and Coalition forces comes at a highly sensitive time and expressed concern about leaving the Kurdistan Region without defensive systems.

Read more: Kurdistan Region unifies Peshmerga, folding rival KDP and PUK forces into one army