The ratio of Kurds in the Iraqi army is very low and has been systematically reduced.
According to the Iraqi constitution, the Kurdish share in the Iraqi army should be %17, but according to Kurdish officials in Baghdad, this percentage has not only not been filled by Kurds, but the percentage of Kurdish participation in the Iraqi army has not yet reached %3. Security and military experts indicate that the ratio of Kurds in the Iraqi army was systematically reduced, at a time when everyone, Shiites and Sunnis, testifies that during the time of Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari, who was the Chief of Staff and a Kurd, the Iraqi army had a solid military structure.
Since the formation of the Iraqi army in 1921, Kurds have played a key role in building this army, and most of the senior officers were Kurds. According to the constitution, the Iraqi army must be composed of all components, but the ratio of Kurds in the Iraqi army is less than %1, and the ratio of Sunnis is less than %10. This was a planned reduction of the Kurdish ratio in the Iraqi army. In place of every retired Kurd from the security and military institutions, a person of their own choosing was placed, but both Shiites and Sunnis testify that the Iraqi army was a solid army when Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari, who was a Kurd, was the Chief of Staff of Iraq. Therefore, what is important is that, according to the constitution, the ratio of Kurds in the Iraqi army must be raised because Kurds have played an important role in rebuilding all security institutions in Iraq. Furthermore, a significant part of Iraq’s institutions now, such as the Council of Ministers and the Iraqi Parliament, are protected by the Kurdistan Peshmerga Forces.
Abdulkhaliq Talaat, a security expert, told The Kurdish Globe: “Six clauses of Article Nine of the constitution regarding military and security forces have been violated, including one clause which states that no militia force outside the authority should enter the army, but after that, dozens of militia forces were created and entered the army, which creates danger because it leads to sectarian strife and instability. We have witnessed many undesirable incidents in Iraq in the past due to the irregularity of the military system, and everyone must know that the structure of Iraq is different from other countries; Iraq is multi-component: Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, Sunnis, and Shiites, and these must have their specificities taken into account, and one party should not try to impose itself on another party, because ultimately it creates danger.”
What is important is that the Kurdish representatives who go to Baghdad Parliament be insistent, become united in voice and stance, and demand the posts that were previously allocated and fixed for the Kurdistan Region. We also have many highly skilled, specialized, and capable people to manage these posts. It is important that Kurds reclaim their posts in Baghdad, especially the military posts, and the total number of Kurdish posts in Baghdad is about 400, which are being filled by proxy by other parties.
The Kurdish Globe