Reports of US funding cuts to Kurdish armed forces raises concerns over regional stability

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut funding to the Peshmerga, the armed forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, according to a BBC report. This decision, if finalized, would impact a key US ally that aided in defeating ISIS and now faces attacks from Iran. The US Department of Defense has reportedly informed leaders of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region that an expiring security assistance agreement will not be renewed. Kurdish officials fear this cut could create a power vacuum, emboldening Iran. Yerevan Saeed, director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace, stated, "the US would be cutting off the Kurds, who shed so much blood to help the Americans achieve their goals in Iraq and the wider Middle East." The Peshmerga, with approximately 180,000 troops, received $61 million in fiscal year 2026 through the Pentagon's counter-IS program. While the Pentagon signed the initial memorandum in 2016 and renewed it in 2022, a final decision on future security engagement is still under review, with the US considering ways to maintain some support after its troop withdrawal from Iraq on September 30.