Coalition aid to Peshmerga ends with expiration of understanding memorandum

The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said today that financial assistance provided by the international coalition to its forces had been suspended following the expiration of the memorandum of understanding signed with the U.S. Department of Defense. It called on the federal government to compensate for the assistance by adjusting Peshmerga salaries to match those of Iraqi forces.

Lt. Gen.BakhtiarMohammed Sadiq, secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the memorandum of understanding was in effect for four years, from September 21, 2022, to September 21, 2026. He explained that its expiration led to the suspension of financial allocations for the Peshmerga forces.

He added that the financial assistance allocated for August and September, which was distributed on September 24, was the final payment under the agreement.

On September 23, the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs announced that the financial assistance provided by the international coalition for August and September had been deposited into the ministry’s account, before distribution began the following day.

Sadiq said the ministry had asked the federal government to compensate for the suspended assistance by adjusting Peshmerga salaries and bringing them in line with the salaries of Iraqi security and military forces.

The end of the assistance came within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs on September 21, 2022. The agreement established a framework for cooperation and support for the Peshmerga forces as part of efforts to combat ISIS, as well as support for reforming the ministry and reorganizing its forces under a unified military institution.

The expiration of the memorandum coincided with the Kurdistan Region’s announcement on September 21 that it had completed the unification and reorganization of the Peshmerga forces under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs as part of a unified military structure.

In the financial context, Amanj Raheem, secretary of the Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, said on September 23 that the regional government had requested during its budget discussions with the federal government for 2027 an increase of 450 billion Iraqi dinars in allocations for the salaries of 148,000 Peshmerga personnel, with the aim of achieving parity in salaries and allowances with Iraqi forces.

Peshmerga Affairs Minister Shoresh Ismail previously said that the financial assistance had been gradually decreasing under the memorandum of understanding and that its termination was linked to the expiration of the agreement rather than the imposition of sanctions. He also said that talks with Baghdad were underway through a joint team to discuss arrangements for the next phase.

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ANHA