Reports of US Funding Cuts to Kurdish Armed Forces Raises Concerns over Regional Stability
The Pentagon proposed ending $61 million in annual aid as the Peshmerga face 158 missile or drone attacks, officials and researchers said.
- The Trump administration plans to end military aid to the Kurdish Peshmerga security force as a memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region expires on September 30, according to four sources.
- Pentagon officials proposed cutting the $61 million in annual security assistance, arguing funds should be reallocated since the Islamic State has been defeated, though the plan remains stalled amid broader budget battles in Congress.
- Iran and Iranian-backed militias conducted 158 missile or drone attacks inside Iraqi Kurdistan by late May, prompting former US defence official Jason Campbell to warn the withdrawal leaves Kurds as 'the most vulnerable potential targets of Iran.'
- This expiration follows an agreement between Washington and Baghdad to withdraw all remaining US troops from Iraq by October 1, coinciding with closure of the $800 million consulate in Irbil opened less than one year ago.
- Cutting off the Kurds would be a 'big win for Iran, China, and Russia,' warned Yerevan Saeed, director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace at American University, potentially undermining a vital Middle East partner.
15 Articles
15 Articles
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Seung-wook = The Donald Trump administration [regarding] the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region, a key Middle Eastern ally that has cooperated in the past fight against the Islamic State (IS)...
President Donald Trump's administration plans to stop direct military assistance to Kurdish Pepmerga troops in Iraq after the end of the current agreement on 30 September 2026, which is written by sources familiar with the negotiations, including representatives of the Pentagon.
This article was originally published on Cedarnews.net. For more news and exclusive reports, visit our website. Iraqi Kurdistan fears that the Trump administration's plan will increase the region's vulnerability to further attacks from Iran. This news was published on the Cedarnews website. For more breaking news and exclusive reports, visit our official website.
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