ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Monday congratulated the Kurdistan Region on the completion of unifying the Peshmerga forces, hailing the development for “strengthening national security and reinforcing institutional governance.”

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and other top leaders on Monday attended a formal ceremony marking the unification of Peshmerga forces under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, following a years-long process.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Kurdish premier described the unification as a “historic” achievement, and emphasized that the next stage should focus on strengthening the force’s military capabilities.

“We congratulate our people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the courageous Peshmerga on the completion of the unification of its formations under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, strengthening national security and reinforcing institutional governance,” wrote Zaidi on X.

The unification of Peshmerga forces comes as Baghdad, under Zaidi’s leadership, is seeking a similar process to end the presence of non-state armed actors by restricting their weapons to the state and bringing them under the umbrella of the Iraqi state security apparatus.

Zaidi has pledged to disarm all armed factions by September 30, but the campaign has faced a lot of resistance from the armed groups, especially those with strong ties to Iran.

“Unifying security and military forces within constitutional and legal frameworks, and strengthening coordination among all branches and formations of the Iraqi Armed Forces, represent an important step toward consolidating our national security and ensuring unity in our defense decision-making,” Zaidi added.

As the September 30 deadline approaches, the Shiite armed factions and their supporters have begun pointing the finger at the Peshmerga, claiming that the Kurdish forces should be subjected to the same treatment.

The 2005 Iraqi constitution allows federal regions in the country, such as the Kurdistan Region, to establish and organize internal security forces “such as police, security forces, and guards of the region,” and the Peshmerga fall under the last category.

"Today, the Peshmerga stands as a constitutional force and a great part of Iraq's national defense system," Prime Minister Barzani said during Monday’s ceremony, thanking Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi for strengthening cooperation between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army.

The historic unification process, which was overseen by the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) for years and was completed on September 10, sought to incorporate the Peshmerga’s Unit 80 forces, affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Unit 70 forces, affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), into the Peshmerga ministry.

The two formations make up the majority of Kurdish Peshmerga forces, numbering over 150,000 troops.