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International Coalition Supports Erbil to Unify, Develop Peshmerga | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Kurdish Peshmerga troops participate in an intensive security deployment against ISIS militants in Khazer in 2014. REUTERS photo


Erbil– A team of advisors from the US, British and German ministries of defense, in cooperation with the government in Kurdistan, are seeking to establish a unified and developed Kurdish military force within the ranks of the Peshmerga.

A statement issued on Sunday by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said: “Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, Acting Minister of Peshmerga, and Peshmerga commanders met with an American, British, and German delegation about reforms in the KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga.”

According to the statement, the meeting fell within government’s continuous efforts to implement important reforms within the Peshmerga and to establish a more professional armed force in the Region.

The Kurdistan Region, with support from a team of experts from US, British, and German defense ministries would work to find the best means to restructure the Peshmerga department, the statement added.

The meeting saw the coalition delegation presenting its plan regarding the Peshmerga ministry.

The statement issued by KRG said that the plan consisted of 35 points, which aim to create a strong, professional military force.

It added that the premiership welcomed the proposal and would refer it to the government for discussion and approval.

The plan will then be sent to the Kurdistan Region President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Masoud Barzani.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the director general of Information and Culture at the Peshmerga Ministry said that the plan was aimed at restructuring the hierarchy at the ministry and provide Peshmerga forces with modern and developed training.

Meanwhile, Peshmerga forces faced on Sunday an attack launched by ISIS militants on a military base in Kirkuk.

An official told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that a group of five ISIS militants launched a pre-dawn assault on a Kurdish Peshmerga base, adding the Kurdish forces succeeded in repulsing the attack and killing the militants.