350 Rojava Peshmerga ready to fight IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A new batch of Peshmerga forces, originally from Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and in training by the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces, graduated on Thursday.

Three hundred and fifty Peshmerga fighters attended the Roj battalion. In three months they completed the 11 military training courses offered by the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces in Khins military base in Duhok province.

Brigadier Aziz Waisy, Peshmerga commander of Zeravani forces, told Kurdistan24 that the purpose of such training courses is to prepare the Peshmerga fighters to protect people's lives and defend Rojava.

“We are proud to graduate today. We would like to go to the frontlines and defend Kurdistan. Anywhere our service is needed we are ready for it, especially we want to go back to Rojava,” a Peshmerga told Kurdistan24.

Since the beginning of the war against Islamic State (IS), Roj battalion has played an important role alongside the Peshmerga forces, and so far 36 Peshmerga fighters have lost their lives in the fight against IS.

Brigadier Bahjat, a Peshmerga commander said that “The main purpose of forming the Roj battalion was to defend Rojava and its people, but so far they are in the frontlines against IS.”

Regarding the reason preventing Rojava Peshmerga from joining YPG, Subhi Batal, a Syrian Kurdish Peshmerga Colonel told Kurdistan24 in a previous interview, "Our main duty is to fight Da'esh [IS] in Rojava, but unfortunately, some political rifts between Syrian Kurdish political parties prevent us from taking part in the fighting.”

YPG or People's Protection Units controls most of Rojava presently and is the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Editing by Ava Homa
(Masoud Muhammad from Duhok contributed to this report)