Trump Administration Plans To End Security Aid For Iraq's Peshmerga

According to the BBC, the Trump administration is planning to end military aid for Iraq's Peshmerga, the Kurdish security force that helped the United States defeat Islamic State, as the current security agreement is due to expire on 30 September. The Pentagon has told Kurdish leaders in recent meetings that it does not plan to renew the memorandum of understanding that provides security assistance, and the Peshmerga received $61m in fiscal year 2026 for weapons, training and stipends through the counter-IS program. The report said the proposed cutoff has alarmed officials in Iraqi Kurdistan, who fear it would create a security vacuum as Iran and Iranian-backed militias intensify attacks in the region. The BBC said Iran and allied groups had carried out 158 missile or drone attacks inside Iraqi Kurdistan by late May, while the sole remaining US military base in Irbil is set to close next month after coalition troops withdraw from Iraq.