Kurdish Peshmerga Enter New Era as US-Led Coalition Completes Iraq Withdrawal

Iraq's Kurdish armed forces are navigating a pivotal transition after the United States formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve, bringing an end to a 12-year military campaign against ISIL (ISIS) and completing the withdrawal of its troops from Iraqi territory. The departure, announced on Wednesday, marks the close of an era in which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters depended heavily on coalition air support, intelligence sharing, and training to defend their semi-autonomous northern region against the armed group.

Other international partners in the anti-ISIL coalition also pulled out of Iraq, honoring a September 30 deadline that Washington and Baghdad had agreed upon two years earlier. For the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which governs Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, the coalition's exit removes a long-standing security guarantee that had helped preserve Kurdish autonomy for roughly three decades.

Just days before the coalition's full departure, on September 21, the Erbil-based KRG announced it had merged Kurdish armed factions into a single unified fighting force. At a ceremony marking the occasion, KRG President Nechirvan Barzani described the consolidation as a significant national achievement aimed at strengthening the region's institutions. "Kurdistan needs one force, one ministry, and one command," he declared, adding that the Peshmerga must evolve into a national institution free from partisan interference and disputes.

Barzani confirmed that militias loyal to his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and its long-time rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), had been placed under one command structure. The KDP and PUK are the two dominant political factions in Iraqi Kurdistan, and their respective military formations had operated separately for years along geographically distinct lines. The unification effort is widely viewed as an attempt to reduce the fractious party politics that have long undermined Kurdish military cohesion.

Zeidon Alkinani, a Middle East political analyst and founding director of the Doha-based Arab Perspectives Institute, told Al Jazeera that the merger could contribute to broader Iraqi stability. He noted that Iraq's most destabilizing rivalries have historically been intra-communal — among Shia factions and among Kurdish parties — rather than between different communities. Reducing the influence of the KDP and PUK party structures within the Peshmerga, he argued, strengthens Iraq's overall stability and gives Erbil a firmer legal footing in its dealings with Baghdad.

Yet the integration process remains incomplete. Barzani himself cautioned that the unification marks the beginning of a phase that "may be even more difficult" than past Kurdish struggles, requiring the Peshmerga to rise above party loyalties. Alkinani echoed that concern, suggesting the true test will be whether the unified command survives given the persistence of two geographically distinct military commands — one centered in Erbil and the other in Sulaymaniyah.

Retired Lieutenant General Jabbar al-Yawar, former secretary general of the Ministry of Peshmerga in the KRG, told Al Jazeera that the KDP and PUK remain entangled in numerous political disputes, including questions over governance of the Kurdistan region and its relations with Baghdad. If the forces remain tied to political parties, he warned, those disputes could easily spill over into military institutions.

On the ground, the Ministry of Peshmerga insists its forces are prepared for the post-coalition era. Spokesperson Major General Othman Mohammed said the Peshmerga "has always been on full alert," pointing to its role in repelling ISIL's advance in 2014 despite limited resources at the time. He also highlighted strong cooperation and coordination between Peshmerga commanders and Iraq's other security forces, a relationship that has grown more critical now that Iraqi forces must detect and counter ISIL activity on their own.

Despite official assurances, analysts see considerable anxiety among Kurds about what the US withdrawal means for their long-term security. Mohammed Salih, a non-resident senior fellow at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute and an expert on Iraqi and regional affairs, told Al Jazeera there is "considerable uncertainty and concern among Kurds surrounding the US withdrawal." Many are asking whether the departure of American troops signals the end of Washington's commitment to Kurdish security, given that the US has served as a key security guarantor for the Kurdistan region for the past three decades.

Compounding those fears, the US withdrew key air defense systems along with its troops, leaving Erbil more exposed. The Kurdish capital has come under several drone and missile attacks since the start of the US war on Iran, underscoring the region's vulnerability at a moment when its most powerful external protector has stepped back.

Erbil has signaled that it intends to maintain cooperative relations with Baghdad under Iraq's federalist framework. The day after coalition forces withdrew, KDP leader and former KRG President Masoud Barzani emphasized "very strong coordination with the Iraqi federal government to confront any kind of threat or danger, whether it comes under the name of ISIS or any other name." In Baghdad, he also voiced support for the federal government's efforts to combat corruption, disarm Iran-aligned militias, and resolve outstanding disputes with Erbil.

The coming months will test whether the newly unified Peshmerga can function as a genuinely national force, whether the KDP-PUK merger holds under political pressure, and whether Erbil can secure alternative security arrangements to replace the departed US-led coalition. For Iraq's Kurds, the end of Operation Inherent Resolve represents both a moment of sovereignty and a source of deep uncertainty about what comes next.