Exposed: KDP Exploits Peshmerga Recruitment to Expand Patronage Network
Evidence has emerged that the KDP has been massively recruiting members from its various branches into the Peshmerga forces over the past two weeks. This surge in enlistment, potentially creating numerous "ghost" Peshmerga positions, appears to be an attempt to bolster the party's patronage system at the expense of Iraq's Finance Ministry, which now provides salaries for KRG public employees.
A leaked list (published by Politician Ali Hama Saleh) from the KDP's 22nd branch reveals hundreds of new enlistments in just the last fortnight, coinciding with the approach of October's elections. This recruitment drive contradicts the KRG's supposed indefinite suspension of new hires, given its already bloated workforce.
Since February, following a Federal Court ruling, the responsibility for KRG employee salaries has shifted to Baghdad. Exploiting this change, the KDP (and likely the PUK as well) has been quietly expanding its Peshmerga ranks, resulting in a steady increase in salary expenditures sent to Baghdad.
The issue has come to a head with July's KRG salaries being withheld due to the sudden spike in payroll costs compared to previous months. Kurdish MP Soran Omar, who sits on Iraq's finance committee, reports that since February, the salary expenditure has surged by nearly 100 billion dinars.
This apparent manipulation has angered many KRG public employees, who view it (expressed through Facebook posts) as a deliberate attempt by the KRG to sabotage the salary arrangement with Baghdad.