ERBIL () — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has formally requested an additional 450 billion Iraqi dinars in Iraq’s 2027 federal budget to bring the salaries and financial allowances of Peshmerga forces in line with those of Iraqi federal security forces, Council of Ministers Secretary Amanj Rahim said Wednesday.
Rahim told that the KRG’s high-level delegation negotiating with the federal government over the 2027 budget formally submitted the request during its recent talks in Baghdad.
The additional allocation would be added to the existing salary budget for approximately 148,000 Peshmerga personnel, with the aim of equalizing their salaries and allowances with those received by their counterparts in Iraq’s federal security forces.
The issue was discussed during Wednesday’s meeting of the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani.
The meeting reviewed the unification of the Peshmerga forces as well as their salaries and financial entitlements.
The request comes as the KRG and the federal government continue negotiations over the draft 2027 federal budget. The Kurdistan Region has been seeking guarantees for its financial entitlements, including funding for public-sector salaries, the Peshmerga and other categories covered by the budget.
The KRG has completed the process of unifying the Peshmerga forces under a unified military structure. The completion of the process was formally announced during a high-level ceremony on Monday attended by the Kurdistan Region’s top political leaders and senior KRG officials, marking a major step in the long-running effort to consolidate the Peshmerga forces under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.
Financial equalization is part of that broader reform process. A senior Peshmerga Ministry official previously said the reform agenda includes ensuring equal financial rights and entitlements for officers and personnel.
The KRG’s latest request is now part of the broader negotiations over Iraq’s 2027 budget, which will determine the federal allocations and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region for the coming year.
