Iraq Arms Debate Puts Peshmerga's Constitutional Status in Focus

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A debate over establishing state monopoly over weapons in Iraq has renewed attention on the Peshmerga's legal standing. Discussions held in Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Washington centered on distinguishing the Peshmerga from other armed groups targeted by proposals to collect weapons under federal control. Kurdish officials and legal experts maintain the Peshmerga holds a constitutional status within Iraq's federal structure and lacks any legal basis for dissolution or integration into central security forces. Serwa Muhammad, a member of the Iraqi parliament, said the Peshmerga functions as an institutional force established under the constitution and federal system. Security analyst Cabbar Yağur noted the debate concerns specific armed groups rather than the Peshmerga. Former coalition spokesman Colonel Miles Caggins and researcher Delovan Brewari said they had observed no serious American move toward dissolving the Peshmerga forces. The discussions have revived questions about power-sharing arrangements between Baghdad and Erbil, particularly regarding oversight of armed groups and control over weapons within Iraq's federal framework.