WATCH: Places named after three martyred Peshmerga brothers in northwest Mosul

A village, school, shops, and restaurants have been named after three Peshmerga brothers who were martyred at the same time while fighting the Islamic State (IS) in the northwest of Mosul.
kurdistan24.net

ZUMMAR, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A village, school, shops, and restaurants have been named after three Peshmerga brothers who were martyred at the same time while fighting the Islamic State (IS) in the northwest of Mosul.

Zummar is a town located some 60 kilometers to the northwest of Mosul.

Following the occupation of the area by the militant group in mid-2014, Peshmerga forces liberated the town on Oct. 25 of the same year with the support of the US-led coalition airstrikes.

During the battle, an IS Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) targeted Peshmerga forces instantly killing three brothers.

Following the attack, the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Kurdistan Region armed forces, ordered siblings not to fight IS at the same front lines.

The people of Zummar have posted photos of the three brothers Ahmed, Mawlud, and Najat at the gate of the town in solidarity for their sacrifices.

“Since then, we have changed the name of our village from Girvir to the ‘Three Brothers,’” Ali Shahab, the head of the village told Kurdistan 24.

“There are schools, shops, and restaurants named after them in Zummar,” he added. “It is the least we can do for Peshmerga who sacrificed their lives to liberate our areas.”

Ayisha, the mother of the three martyred Peshmerga, recently visited Zummar and spent two nights there. She also visited the exact location where her three sons were martyred at the same moment.

“I thank them all very much. I see them all as my family…I ask them not to forget the martyrs,” Ayisha told Kurdistan 24.

“I feel proud that my sons were martyred for liberating Kurdistan’s land,” she continued. “The only wish I have is to see the independent state of Kurdistan before I die.”

The tragic story of Ayisha is one of the thousands of other stories the people of Kurdistan have experienced throughout history.

President Barzani has repeatedly praised Ayisha for her strength, stating the role of women in the history of the Kurdistan Region cannot be forgotten.

President Barzani recently explained his visit to Ayisha, labeling it one of the most difficult trips in his life due to the tragic story of the three Peshmerga brothers.

Since 2014, over 1,700 Peshmerga have fallen while fighting IS and 11,000 more have been wounded, according to the Peshmerga Ministry.

“We hope the people of the Kurdistan Region honor the sacrifices of the martyred Peshmerga by voting in the independence referendum on Sep. 25,” the President previously stated.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Ni'mat Maronisi contributed to this report)