Erbil, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Region is on track to finalize the unification of its Peshmerga forces into a single, national military structure by the end of this year, with 11 divisions fully established, a senior Kurdish official announced on Wednesday.

Babakir Zebari, Military Advisor to the Kurdistan Region’s President, confirmed in an interview with BasNews that the restructuring process has made significant progress, with 10 of the 11 planned divisions already completed. The remaining division is expected to be fully integrated before the year’s end.

“This is a crucial step toward building a unified national army for the Kurdistan Region,” Zebari stated. He emphasized that the reorganization aims to eliminate divisions based on political party affiliations, ensuring all Peshmerga forces operate under a single command within the Ministry of Peshmerga.

“Our primary goal is to unify all Peshmerga forces so that no unit is tied to a specific party,” he said. “We want to move beyond the era where certain brigades were associated with one party and others with another.”

Zebari also acknowledged the critical role of the U.S.-led international Coalition in supporting the reform process. “There has been excellent coordination between us, and the Coalition has backed this effort from the very beginning,” he noted.

The Peshmerga, long recognized for their role in combating ISIS, have historically been divided along political lines, primarily between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The unification initiative seeks to professionalize the force and enhance its ability to defend the region against internal and external threats while strengthening institutional ties with Iraq’s federal security framework.

The reforms, supported by the U.S. and European allies, include training, standardization of equipment, and structural integration—key steps toward transforming the Peshmerga into a modern, cohesive national army.