Despite repeated assurances from the Iraqi government that arming the Iraqi army will not pose a threat to international or domestic security, Iraqi Kurds insist that this step will plunge the country into a war from which they, more so than the rest of the Iraqis, have the most to lose.

The recent crisis erupted between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, when Baghdad sent the Tigris Operations forces to the disputed areas. Frustrated with this advancement, the Iraqi Kurds in turn dispatched Peshmerga forces to the same disputed areas.

Jabbar Yawar, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga in the KRG and a member of the military delegation sent to Baghdad for negotiations, stressed that their concern stems from the Iraqi army’s lack of commitment to the Iraqi constitution, saying, “We are not against arming the Iraqi army and we are not for arming it; we want the army to abide by Article 9 of the Iraqi constitution.”

Article 9 of the constitution stipulates, “The Iraqi armed forces and security services will be composed of the components of the Iraqi people with due consideration given to their balance and representation without discrimination or exclusion. They shall be subject to the control of the civilian authority, shall defend Iraq, shall not be used as an instrument to oppress the Iraqi people, shall not interfere in the political affairs, and shall have no role in the transfer of authority.”