Peshmerga

Kurdish PDKI soldiers kill Iranian Revolutionary Guards in direct action raid

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) claims that their Peshmerga forces killed nine Iranian Revolutionary Guards and injured another eighteen during a firefight last week on the Iran-Iraq border. A statement made by the PDKI’s Peshmerga Central Command declared that the clash occurred in mountains of the Iranian controlled Shno region, a border city […]

The problem with the Kurdish Peshmerga

Recently I have been speaking with many of the Kurds I had previously served alongside in the Kurdish Peshmerga military forces. Many have moved on to veteran status and found civilian jobs. Many feel disenfranchised with the Peshmerga because it is surrounded by family hookups and back door deals. Corruption is common practice among the […]

A mercenary’s everyday carry for life in a conflict zone

When I was living in the world’s more chaotic corners, my exact daily carry of items often varied widely depending on circumstances. Typically, it centered around some key aspects that were pretty consistent though. These central components could change too — things were often situation dependent when abroad. I generally base an everyday carry (EDC) […]

Hashd al-Shaabi demands Yezidi protection forces disarm

Iraqi paramilitary forces, the Hashd al-Shaabi militia, are demanding the Yezidi military forces lay down arms and have threatened them with force should they not comply. The Ezidixan Protection Forces commander, Haider Shasho, has stated that they will not disarm. Commander Shasho told local media that, The Ezidixan Protection Forces is an official force and has […]

Peshmerga to receive $290 million from the US in 2019

The 2019 U.S. defense budget was approved on Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives, $290 million of which will be allocated to Kurdistan’s Peshmerga military forces — under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The U.S. budget for Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is $560 out of $850 million, the rest will be allocated to […]

Prime Minister of Iraq proposes assembling new Kurdish military unit to secure Kirkuk

A lot of speculation, hearsay, and high hopes have been put towards the reintegration of Kurdish Peshmerga military forces into providing security in Kirkuk alongside Iraqi forces. Now Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will be make good on his promise during elections, that a solution would be found regarding Kirkuk and the desire to see an […]

French Special Forces begin new deployments to Syria

United States led coalition forces were put on an operational pause after Syrian Democratic Forces reallocated nearly 1,300 fighters to combating Turkey’s military aggression in northern Syria. Now operations have continued with a deployment of French Special Forces being sent to reinforce the SDF combating the remaining pockets of Islamic State resistance. U.S. Secretary of […]

3 Peshmerga POWs rescued by Kurdish Counter Terror Group

Three Peshmerga that had been captured by the Islamic States, were finally rescued after 96 days in captivity by Kurdistan’s elite Counter Terrorism Group. The CTG is part of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s 70th forces, a coalition of PUK politically affiliated Peshmerga based military units. The rescue took place over the weekend in the Dubiz […]

Iraq criticizes United States for supplying financial aid to the Kurdish Peshmerga

Once again the United States is stepping up to handle the salaries of the Peshmerga despite Iraqi criticism and their apparent inability or unwillingness to do it themselves. The United States will be giving the Ministry of Peshmerga approximately $365 million this year over several installments. The ministry confirmed they have received the first on and […]

How to field strip and clean an AK series rifle

A well made AK variant can be incredibly reliable and accurate believe it or not. It still requires routine maintenance to stay at this level of overall quality though. Sure, you can neglect the rifle or run it dry (unlubricated) but it’s not the most ideal state of operation; for any weapon system for that […]

Watch the Kurdish Peshmerga train with the SPG-9

The SPG-9 is a recoilless rifle designed by the Soviet Union and brought into service in 1962 under the nomenclature of Kopye (Spear). It fires a 73mm projectile that travels at speeds of up to 700 meters per second and is stabilized by an expanding fin system like that of an RPG-7 projectile. The weapon […]

Prime Minister Barzani discusses Kurdistan and the world at hand

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government, has expressed that relations between Kurdistan and Iran are in good standing and that the KRG is eager to resume flights between the two. During a press conference last week the Prime Minister said, “We are happy with the restart of flights between Tehran, Erbil and Sulaimani. […]