Kurdistan’s Presidency and US DoD collaborate on Peshmerga reforms

Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Region Presidency and the US Department of Defense (DoD) issued a joint statement on Tuesday regarding the inaugural meeting of the Peshmerga Executive Steering Committee.

The statement indicated that senior officials from the US government and the Kurdistan Region (KRI) conducted an inaugural Peshmerga Executive Steering Committee meeting at the KRI Presidency in Erbil on January 29th.

The meeting aimed to assess the progress made in achieving the objectives of Peshmerga reform outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the DoD and the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, which was renewed in September 2022.

The committee reviewed the progress made in Peshmerga reform and agreed on key points for the coming year as part of a long-term commitment to unify Peshmerga forces under the supervision of KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and to build a professional force capable of ensuring the permanent defeat of ISIS.

The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs has made significant progress towards financial reform and force restructuring. Moreover, the DoD and the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs look forward to continuing the outlined reform efforts in the Memorandum of Understanding for 2022.

Additionally, the statement emphasized that the US stands with the people of Iraq, including the people of Kurdistan, in their efforts to build a strong, stable, and sovereign Iraq.