Peshmerga Unification Renews Calls for Air Defense in Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan24

Peshmerga Unification Renews Calls for Air Defense in Kurdistan Region  Kurdistan24

Sirwan Barzani, commander of the Peshmerga's Sixth Sector, says Peshmerga unification should clear the way for stronger military support, including an air-defense system for the Kurdistan Region. ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The completion of Peshmerga unification should remove obstacles to providing the Kurdistan Region with air-defense capabilities and other military equipment, senior Peshmerga commander Sirwan Barzani said, arguing that the newly unified force has entered a position from which Baghdad and international partners should expand their support. Sirwan Barzani, commander of the Peshmerga's Sixth Sector, told Kurdistan24's 5 p.m. news bulletin on Monday, Sept. 21, that unification represented the fulfillment of a long-standing Kurdish aspiration. "The unification of the Peshmerga forces is a highly significant step and marks a blessed day, because it has long been the dream of every Kurd," he said.

"With this step, no excuse remains for any person or party." His remarks shifted attention from the institutional achievement celebrated during Monday's ceremony toward the next question facing the force: how a unified Peshmerga will be equipped and supported. "The unification of the Peshmerga will create favorable conditions for equipping the forces," Barzani said. "It will also encourage the coalition to take further steps in its cooperation and dealings with them." He specifically raised the need for an air-defense system, alongside broader weapons and equipment requirements. Sirwan Barzani