Peshmerga

Kurdish Peshmerga completes its long process of unification - explainer

The armed forces of the Kurdistan autonomous government announced their unification and would turn their attention to 'strengthening military capabilities.'

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters gather during a security deployment in Luhaiban village in Kirkuk Monday, 6th December 2021
A group of young male and female Peshmergas belonging to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), near one of their bases in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 35 miles from the Iranian border, on January 17, 2026.

As US considers cutting funds from Kurdish forces, concerns rise over stability in Middle East

The Peshmerga have played a key role over the years fighting ISIS and securing the autonomous Kurdistan Region. However, efforts to reform them have not proceeded as planned.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Ghazal Molan, the youngest female Peshmerga opposed to the Islamic Republic, had joined Kurdish armed opposition forces across the border at the age of 18 and died on Tuesday evening.

Ghazal, youngest female Kurdish Peshmerga, dies after IRGC strike and medical neglect

Ghazal Molan, 19, died after being wounded in an IRGC drone strike, amid claims she was denied urgent hospital care before being laid to rest in Sulaymaniyah.

|ByOMID HABIBINIA/THE MEDIA LINE
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks on the day of classified briefings for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on the situation in Iran, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, March 3, 2026.

Rubio holds call with Iraqi Kurdish leader, State Department says

The war in Iran has raised oil prices and shaken global markets.

|ByREUTERS

Iraqi forces complete Kirkuk province takeover after clashes with Kurds

The Iraqi central government forces have advanced into Kirkuk province largely unopposed as most Peshmerga forces withdrew without a fight.

OCTOBER 21, 2017ByREUTERS
A vehicle of the Iraqi Federal police is seen on a street in Kirkuk, Iraq October 19, 2017. Picture taken October 19, 2017.

Shock in Kurdistan region of Iraq as Kirkuk falls to Iraqi forces

As US expresses concern, Iraqi forces launch major attack alongside Iranian-backed militias to take city run by Kurdistan Regional Government.

OCTOBER 17, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Volunteers and Peshmerga forces carry their weapons north of Kirkuk, Iraq October 16, 2017.