Ezidi women voluntarily join Peshmerga, establish Roj Force
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Several Yezidi (Ezidi) girls voluntarily joined the Peshmerga’s female force in Zakho near the Syrian border on Saturday.
A group of 127 Ezidi Kurdish girls took part in a 45-day training course at a Peshmerga Tiger base in Peshkhabur in the Zakho district. According to a Peshmerga commander, the first phase of the course will only include some basic training.
Brigade Abubakir Abdulla, a Peshmerga commander at Zeravani Tiger military base, told Kurdistan24, “After the Islamic State [IS] attack on Shingal and the massacre committed by the terrorists, these girls volunteered themselves to join Peshmerga to defend the soil of Kurdistan.”
Abdulla added that the female Peshmerga fighters are capable of doing their duty and will join the Roj Force battalion.
Aliya, a Peshmerga from the Guhbala village in Shingal, said, “Our Ezidi sisters were oppressed by IS extremists, and we will not allow that to happen again…we will defend ourselves alongside our Peshmerga brothers in the frontlines.”
Speaking to Kurdistan24, Lavina Darman, another female Peshmerga, stated, “We are currently in a training course, we have learned many new things, and we want to learn more.”
The Peshmerga forces have been trained with the use of AK-47’s, BKS, RPG, grenades and several other weapons, Darman added.
On March 30, in a ceremony held in Zakho, 201 female officers graduated from Zakho Military Academy.
Many top officials attended the ceremony, including Kurdistan Region President Barzani, Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Chancellor Masrour Barzani, Peshmerga commanders, and military and foreign diplomats.
President Barzani congratulated the graduates of the Academy and expressed his confidence regarding the ability of the Peshmerga female fighters.
“I am very hopeful that you will [all] fill a [security] gap [in the Kurdistan Region] and achieve significant victories hand in hand with your brothers [Peshmerga currently fighting IS],” Barzani said.
Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran and Ismat Marounsi
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany