Luxus swimming pool planned in Erbil but Peshmergas go unpaid

Kurdistan Tribune :  10-4-2013 – The Director of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga forces department has confirmed to Xendan website that Peshmerga salaries have been delayed for several weeks.

This problem has occurred due to the shortage of money in Kurdistan’s banks: the crisis in the Suli area has spread to affect the whole region. It is causing growing difficulties for the families of members of the forces. Under the Iraq constitution, Peshmerga forces are supposed to be paid by the federal government. However, Baghdad has refused to honour this commitment. This matter has been a big part of the six-year dispute between Baghdad and Erbil. The KRG has been paying these wages from its own budget but now the Peshmergas and their families are suffering due to weaknesses in the KRG’s financial system.