50K is the number of bodyguards in Kurdistan

Erbil, March 26, 2025 — A recent investigation has exposed the widespread misuse of bodyguards assigned to officials and influential figures in the Kurdistan Region, highlighting how these guards, who are funded by public resources, are often used to intimidate, threaten, and silence dissenters. This alarming misuse of power not only erodes public trust but also reinforces an environment where critics are systematically targeted and oppressed.

Guards Assigned Without Legal Oversight

Jabar Yawar, the former Secretary of the Peshmerga Ministry of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), acknowledged that the distribution of guards has been conducted without proper oversight. While laws and regulations define who qualifies for personal protection and the number of guards they should receive, these rules have been disregarded. As a result, guards are assigned arbitrarily, with many individuals securing protection through personal connections and political influence rather than legitimate security concerns.

‘ There are people who are ordinary, Religous person, Univeristy President, officer, employee, and political party officer, all of these have bodyguards’50 said Yawar.

“There is a guard unit in the Interior Ministry, but some officials have brigades, others have battalions, and some party figures have as many as 60-70 guards,” said Ali Hama Salih, leader of the Halwest Movement. Reports indicate that the number of guards assigned to political and party figures may exceed 50,000, far beyond the necessary limits.

Bodyguards as Instruments of Threat and Control

Disturbingly, these guards are not merely providing protection — they are being used as instruments of oppression. Sources close to the KRG’s Council of Ministers have admitted that these guards are often deployed to intimidate, threaten, and pressure individuals into compliance. In some cases, dissenters, activists, and journalists have been harassed, assaulted, and even killed by bodyguards acting on orders from influential figures.

A senior security source revealed that, “In several cases, guards provided to high-ranking officials have been used to intimidate critics, silence opposing voices, and enforce political loyalty. These guards have become tools to coerce people into illegal actions under threat.”

The misuse of guards is not limited to politicians alone. Wealthy individuals and influential personalities with connections to political elites also secure guards who serve not only as protection but as enforcers of their will. “Some of these bodyguards are deployed to serve personal interests, such as managing gardens, hosting guests, or running errands, while others carry out more sinister tasks,” said the source.

A Pattern of Violence and Fear

This corrupt system has created an atmosphere where ordinary citizens fear that those with political or financial power can weaponize their guards against them. “When a bodyguard assigned to an official threatens someone, it is not treated as an individual’s act of violence but rather as an extension of the political system,” said a legal expert familiar with these cases.

International Pressure and Urgent Reforms

The situation has also drawn the attention of coalition forces, who have been pressuring the KRG to unify and professionalize its security forces. However, the continued practice of distributing guards based on personal connections and using them for illegal purposes undermines these efforts. “The Peshmerga Ministry should have 138,000 personnel, but the actual number exceeds this due to arbitrary assignments and political favoritism,” said a senior government source.

Without immediate reform and strict oversight of the bodyguard system, the Kurdistan Region risks further entrenching a system where power is enforced through fear and violence. The misuse of security personnel for political control is a dangerous trend that threatens stability, undermines justice, and perpetuates a culture of impunity.

Kurdfile will continue to investigate and report on these developments as the situation unfolds.