SULAIMANI,— The head of the New Generation Movement (NGM) (Cûłanewey Newey Nwê) says the Kurdistan Regional Government’s claims of merging Peshmerga forces are far from the truth.
In a statement issued Monday, Shaswar Abdulwahid said the process amounts to little more than a name change, with no genuine merger of forces under one national command.
He said Peshmerga units in Sulaimani still answer to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, while forces in Erbil and Duhok remain under the command of the Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Abdulwahid noted that the 80 Forces were simply renamed “Region One,” and the 70 Forces became “Region Two,” adding that a name change does not create a unified force.
True unification, he said, requires one national command structure and a single chain of command, with loyalty directed to the state rather than to political parties.
He described the current Peshmerga setup as a collection of partisan, personal and militia-based forces rather than a single national army.
His comments follow an announcement by Kurdish officials on September 21, 2026, stating that Peshmerga forces across the Kurdistan Region had been fully unified under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
(With files from Agencies)
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