In the Kurdish Training at the Coordination Center (KTCC), under Italian command in Erbil (Iraq) were trained by the international coalition military a total of 4200 Peshmerga.
The KTCC – composed of Italian, English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish and Hungarian instructors – have completed training of 2 Battalions Peshmerga at the request of the representatives of the Ministry of Kurdish Peshmerga .
The initiative was welcomed by representatives of the Kurdish institutions, who expressed words of appreciation for the support received from the coalition military trainers.
The Kurdish Training Coordination Center, currently composed of about 600 men and women from seven countries, since last January has trained about 4,200 Kurdish security forces of which over 1,500 have been formed by Italian soldiers.
Italy is engaged in anti-coalition Isis with a contingent of 530 soldiers belonging to the Armed Forces.
Italy pledged its help in training Peshmerga forces both inside Kurdistan Region and in Italy as part of the country’s efforts to support the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in the war against Islamic State militants, a top Italian army official said in Erbil.
“We’ll set up a military training camp in Kurdistan Region for the Peshmerga troops,” said the top Italian army official in the Kurdish capital Erbil.
“What the Peshmarga have done against the terrorists is of absolute significance, and Italy will support Kurdistan to obtain advanced weapons” in their fight against the Islamic jihadists who still hold large parts of Iraq and Syria in their solid control.
On a visit to Erbil last August, Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi expressed his country’s support for the KRG in its fight against the militants and stated that Rome would provide both humanitarian and military aid to the KRG.
“We highly appreciate the Italian position to help the Peshmerga forces,” Barzani said. “The frontline against the IS militants is vast and protracted. We need more military support and heavy weapons including antitank mortars and advanced mine detecting equipment.”
