“In the framework of the reform, organizing, and unifying project, the [ministry] has started to unify Brigades 70 and 80 and they will become a brigade similar to the other 14 [nonpartisan] that were formed in the past,” Jabar said.
Unifying the Peshmerga forces will take a “long time,” but the process has started, he added.
The 70th Force Unit is aligned with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the 80th Force Unit is aligned with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
The Peshmerga Ministry itself controls a number of other, ostensibly non-partisan units.
The Peshmerga Ministry’s reform project began in February, when it announced a 35-point plan that had been developed in consultation with military advisers from the US, UK, and Germany. One of the most important points was that the Peshmerga would become a totally unified, non-partisan force.
Several reforms have been acted upon so far, but there is no timetable for the entire package to be implemented.
At the end of July, the acting Peshmerga Minister announced that reforms to the organizational structure of the ministry would take place once the new government is formed.
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