Wiktionary
n. 1 (non-gloss definition: a term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters) 2 Official name of military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan.
WordNet
n. a member of a Kurdish guerilla organization that fights for a free Kudish state
Wikipedia
Peshmerga ( Kurdish: , ) are the military forces of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Peshmerga means "one who confronts death" or "one who faces death". "Pesh" means to stand in front of (loosely translated as to confront or face) while "merga" means death. The overall formal head of the peshmerga is the President of Iraqi Kurdistan. The peshmerga force itself is largely divided and controlled separately by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, although both pledge allegiance to the Kurdistan Regional Government. Efforts are under way to gather the entire force under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. Peshmerga forces are responsible for defending the land, people and institutions of the Kurdistan Region.
Because the Iraqi Army is forbidden by law from entering Iraqi Kurdistan, the peshmerga, along with other Kurdish security subsidiaries, are responsible for the security of the Kurdish Region. These subsidiaries include Asayish (official intelligence agency), Parastin u Zanyarî and (Dzha Terror) (assisting intelligence agency) and the Zeravani (military police).
In 2003, during the Iraq War, peshmerga are said to have played a key role in the mission to capture Saddam Hussein. In 2004, Kurdish anti-terror forces captured al Qaeda key figure Hassan Ghul, who revealed the identity of Osama Bin Laden's messenger, which eventually led to Operation Neptune Spear and the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Following an unexpected large-scale ISIS offensive against Iraqi Kurdistan in August 2014, peshmerga and other Kurdish forces from neighboring countries have been waging war against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.
Usage examples of "peshmerga".
The others decided to proceed anyway, and on March 6 a force of roughly 10,000 PUK peshmerga and a few hundred INC personnel launched a surprise attack on the 130th and 847th Infantry Brigades of the Thirty-eighth Infantry Division.
Thirty-eighth Infantry Division that suffered the ignominy of being defeated in battle by Kurdish peshmerga near Arbil in March 1995.
There is enough good raw material among the peshmerga that if the United States were to provide them with weapons, training, funds, and massive air support, at some point they probably would be able to hold Kurdistan against an Iraqi assault.
Washington did not want the Peshmerga to become too aggressive for fear of provoking the Turks, who were determined to prevent the Kurds from declaring an independent state, a move Ankara feared would inspire the Kurds in Turkey to secede.
He embedded his SOF troops with the Peshmerga to reinforce this message and provide essential support--command and control, intelligence, and the ability to call in air strikes--for the Kurdish fighters.
The Peshmerga should not move south of the Green Line without American approval.
The intensified air campaign, the simultaneous American paratroop operation, and the Peshmerga attack had a profound effect on the Iraqis, who began abandoning their positions east of Kirkuk, falling back into defensive lines on its outskirts and, in many cases, deserting their positions.
Small skirmishes occurred along the Green Line while SOF and Peshmerga patrols, working out of forward operating bases, found gaps between Iraqi units and infiltrated their front lines.
The Peshmerga passed by the unlocked ones but broke into those that were locked.
Asked by Special Forces soldiers the distinction, the Peshmerga explained that Kurdish residents had been alerted to the attack in advance and told to leave their doors open.
Trying to speed up the air strikes, the Special Forces air controller with the Peshmerga radioed two Navy F-14s.
Howard was hurt and more than a dozen Peshmerga killed or wounded in the blast, including a close relative of Masoud Barzani.
The Navy pilot had misidentified a group of Special Forces and Peshmerga, who had retreated to Dog Ridge, as the Iraqis.
The following day the Peshmerga moved closer to the crossroads, but the battle ended in a stalemate until it was settled by the general disintegration of the Iraqi northern army.
The political mission had also been fulfilled: the Peshmerga had been kept in check.