Iraq's KRG advances Peshmerga unity plan backed by US-led coalition with bringing Unit 80 into the fold

Unit 80 of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, once aligned with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), has now joined the ranks of the Peshmerga ministry within the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This move marks a significant step in an ambitious, internationally backed effort to unify Kurdish forces across Iraqi Kurdistan, with completion targeted for next year.

Brigadier General Othman Mohammed Mustafa, Director-General of Media and National Awareness at the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga, confirmed the development to The New Arab on Wednesday.

For years, the US-led global coalition has supported the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in its mission to bring all Peshmerga forces under a single command structure, particularly those affiliated with the dominant KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The latest integration follows security incidents in Sulaimaniyah on 22 August, and aims to prevent these forces from becoming embroiled in internal Kurdish disputes or being used to suppress civilian protests.

Unit 80 was previously affiliated with the KDP, while Unit 70 is aligned with the PUK. Together, these two units make up the bulk of the Peshmerga forces, estimated at more than 100,000 troops.

"As part of the project to unify and reorganise the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces under the command of the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, the ministry has initiated the integration of Unit 80 and Unit 70 under its command and will reorganise them within the ministry's brigades and divisions," Mustafa told TNA. "The ministry has also decided to restructure the command of both units into two new commands. Currently, the command of Unit 80 has been changed to the First Area Command, which is now formally operational, and the integration of nine divisions has been completed."

He added that the reintegration process is ongoing and that preparations to transform Unit 70 into the Second Area Command under the ministry's authority are expected to be finalised in the near future.

Mustafa also noted that the US-led coalition has set September 2026 as the deadline for completing the full integration of all Peshmerga forces under the ministry's command. He stressed that the global coalition continues to assist and train the Kurdish Peshmerga.

Asked whether the PUK-affiliated Commando forces will be included in the integration process, Mustafa declined to comment.

TNA also contacted Ahmed Latif, spokesperson for Unit 70, who likewise declined to comment.

During the intra-Kurdish civil war between the KDP and the PUK from 1994 to 1998, Peshmerga units fought each other, resulting in the loss of between 5,000 and 8,000 lives. The fate of hundreds remains unknown.

In 1993, PUK forces clashed with the Kurdistan Islamic Movement. Since then, both ruling parties have deployed their forces to suppress civil protests, after the regional uprisings in 2011, 2015, and again in 2018, leaving dozens of civilians dead or injured.