ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday strongly responded to recent comments from a number of Iraqi leaders who had showed their disapproval of arms delivery to Peshmerga forces by the United States and the Iraqi government, describing them as “chauvenists”. 

 

“Unfortunately, a few days ago we heard some of the chauvinists who said arms must not be delivered to the Peshmerga and criticized the handover of some [howitzer] artillery to the Peshmerga. My answer for them is as follows; the Peshmerga is a tree that has been watered with the blood of martyrs and tears of the mothers of martyrs. The name and duty of the Peshmerga is very sacred to us," said President Masoud Barzani in a ceremony organized in Erbil to introduce his party's candidates for the October 20 parliamentary elections of the Kurdistan Region.

 

In August, the US delivered a batch of military aid containing American howitzer artillery to the Peshmerga, executing details of an agreement previously signed between Erbil and Baghdad with the US. 

 

Last week, Qais al-Khazali, secretary general of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) and former Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi protested the move, arguing the handover of the heavy weapon would destabilize the country and pave the way for domestic conflicts in disputed areas, namely Kirkuk and Nineveh provinces, claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad. 

 

Khazali said the artillery would have to be returned to Baghdad, calling the move “a mistake” and asked the Iraqi government to “correct” it. 

 

AAH is a US-designated terrorist organization due to its deep alliance with Iran and their involvement in attacking US personnel in Iraq on multiple occasions. 

 

For his part, Halbousi viewed the arms delivery “uncosntituoinal” and argued it would fuel internal conflict, especially in the disputed areas. 

 

KDP President Barzani slammed such comments, saying the Peshmerga’s job is to defend the people of the Kurdistan Region, not attack any other side.  

 

“The Peshmerga has not been established upon anyone’s decision, nor will it be dismantled by anyone. The Peshmerga have protected Kurdistan with their will,” Barzani added. 

 

“The Peshmerga have never been a threat, because the Peshmerga is an obeying and disciplined force, but it is this chauvinistic ideology which still exists, posing danger to Iraq, the [Kurdistan] Region and the region, otherwise the Peshmerga are not a threat to anybody.

 

“All the Peshmerga do is defend Kurdistan, and the dignity of the Kurdish nation. The Peshmerga do not attack anyone.”

 

Over the weekend, the Iraqi government said the US shipment of the artillery to the Peshmerga was to implement an agreement that had previously been signed between Erbil and Baghdad. 

 

The Peshmerga are “a national force,” the Iraqi defense ministry said in a statement, adding the Kurdish forces’ “loyalty to Iraq is unquestionable.”

 

According to the Iraqi Constitution, Kurdish Peshmerga are part of the national defense system of Iraq and they are entitled to enjoy similar privileges as that of other Iraqi forces in other parts of the country. 

 

Kurdish Peshmerga forces played a pivotal role in shattering the myth of ISIS, decisively contributing to the lasting defeat of the extremist group in 2017, three years after they occupied a significant swathe of territory.

 

The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces currently have joint forces to secure a security vacuum in the disputed territories.

 

Seven years into the territorial defeat of ISIS, the Peshmerga and Iraqi armed forces routinely carry out joint operations to eliminate the group’s remnants.