Peshmerga
The Peshmerga (Sorani Kurdish: بِئَشَمْهَرِكْهْ, romanized: Pêşmerge, lit. 'Facing death') are the military forces of the federal region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Peshmerga and other Kurdish security forces are responsible for the security of the regions in Iraqi Kurdistan.[1][2][3][4] These forces include Asayish (intelligence agency), Parastin u Zanyarî (assisting intelligence agency) and the Zeravani (military police). The Peshmerga was started in 1943, but built upon a traditional, strictly tribal pseudo-military border guard force under the Ottomans and Safavids.[5]
| Peshmerga بِئَشَمْهَرِكْهْ <span title="Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Language/data/ISO 639-2' not found. transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">Pêşmerge | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Kurdistan Region used by the Peshmerga | |
| Active | Early 1920s–present |
| Allegiance | Kurdistan Regional Government(disputed, see Structure) |
| Branch | Army |
| Size | 410,000(disputed, see Structure) |
| Headquarter | Erbil |
| March | Ey Reqîb[source?] |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Masoud Barzani |
| Minister of Peshmerga Affairs | Mustafa Sayid Qadir |
| Notable commanders | |
The regular Iraqi army is forbidden to enter the Kurdistan Region,[6][7] so the Peshmerga forces are the only security forces in the area.
Formally the Peshmerga are under the command of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. In reality the Peshmerga force itself is largely divided and controlled separately by the two regional political parties: Democratic Party of Kurdistan and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Unifying and integrating the peshmerga has been on the public agenda since 1992 but the forces remain divided due to factionalism which has proved to be a major stumbling block.[8]
In 2003, during the Iraq War, the Peshmerga were said to have played a key role in the mission to capture Saddam Hussein.[9][10] In 2004, they captured key al-Qaeda figure Hassan Ghul, who revealed the identity of Osama bin Laden's messenger, which eventually led to the attack that killed Osama bin Laden.[11][12] In 2017, the Peshmerga troops were part of the coalition that took back the city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Peshmerga Media
Kurdish cavalry under Mahmud Barzanji.
Mustafa Barzani (center front) with other Kurdish military officials of the Republic of Mahabad.
Kurdish fighter during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings (Raperîn)
Kurdish and U.S. special forces after defeating Ansar al-Islam during Operation Viking Hammer in Halabja, Iraqi Kurdistan.
Kurdish Peshmerga soldier with an M93 rifle.
Peshmerga soldiers stand in formation during the Modern Brigade Course graduation ceremony.
People's Defense Units' (YPG) woman volunteer with Peshmerga soldier
.jpg)
References
- ↑ Summary of the most important tasks of the Ministry of Peshmerga. Ministry of Peshmerga (12 November 2012). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ Newton-Small, Jay (31 December 2012). "Destination Kurdistan: Is This Autonomous Iraqi Region a Budding Tourist Hot Spot?". Time. http://world.time.com/2012/12/31/destination-kurdistan-is-this-autonomous-iraqi-region-a-budding-tourist-hotspot/. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ Druzin, Heath. Rare terrorist attack in peaceful Kurdish region of Iraq kills 6. Stars and Stripes (29 September 2013). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ Krajeski, Jenna. The Iraq War Was a Good Idea, If You Ask the Kurds. The Atlantic (20 March 2013). Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ↑ Lortz, Michael. Willing to Face Death: A History of Kurdish Military Forces - the Peshmerga - From the Ottoman Empire to Present-Day Iraq. Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations 1038 (2005). p. 108. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ↑ Iraqi PM criticizes Kurdish region for barring army from Syrian border area. Xinhua News Agency (28 July 2012). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ Information about Kurdistan. Kurdistan Development Organization (2014). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ van Wilgenburg, Wladimir. Kurdistan's Political Armies: The Challenge of Unifying the Peshmerga Forces.. Carnegie Middle East Center (16 December 2015). Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ↑ Rai, Manish (6 October 2014). "Kurdish Peshmerga Can Be A Game Changer In Iraq And Syria". Khaama Press. http://www.khaama.com/kurdish-peshmerga-can-be-a-game-changer-in-iraq-and-syria-6802. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ↑ Operation Red Dawn's eight-month hunt. The Sydney Morning Herald (15 December 2003). Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ↑ Ambinder, Marc (29 April 2013). How the CIA really caught Bin Laden's trail. http://theweek.com/article/index/243389/how-the-cia-really-caught-bin-ladens-trail#axzz34IzUbxqb. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ↑ Roston, Arom. Cloak and Drone: The Strange Saga of an Al Qaeda Triple Agent. Vocativ (9 January 2014). Retrieved 14 February 2015.