ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan — A North American organization claims it is opening a sniper school and medical training facility for the Kurdish Peshmerga, but the ministry that oversees the Kurdish forces remains tightlipped about the purported program. A group called the First North American Expeditionary Force, or FNAEF, says it plans to be the first non-profit organization to sign an agreement with the Ministry of Peshmerga and Department of Foreign Relations to provide free military training to the Peshmerga using foreign military veterans as volunteer instructors. While a number of foreign governments are currently offering training to the Peshmerga, Yakhi Hamza, spokesman for the FNAEF in Kurdistan, said only three Peshmerga brigades out of 11 were involved. “[Peshmerga leaders] were very interested because urban fighting and warfare in plains areas are something new, where they don't have much experience,” he said. Spokesmen for the Ministry of Peshmerga and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) declined to give any details or even confirm they were in talks with the FNAEF. A source close to the ministry said this may be due to recently imposed restrictions on giving information to the press. Still, Hamza said his organization was currently finalizing an agreement and hoped to be operational by mid-May. The organization also plans to open a medical training facility. “Peshmerga died because of a lack of medical skills on the battlefield,” Hamza said. “That's another thing we can help with.” An initial group of 25 instructors – all North American military veterans – would run the training Hamza said, with plans to expand this number to 200. Funding would come from private sources and the Peshmerga ministry would not incur any costs. “It's not a mercenary entity, it's a charity organization,” Hamza said. The FNAEF was formed last year, originally with the goal of sending vetted foreign volunteers with military experience to fight alongside the Peshmerga. In November, the organization helped Canadian veteran Dillon Hillier to travel to Iraqi Kurdistan where he spent several months with a unit around Kirkuk. After being told he would no longer be allowed to remain on the front lines, however, Hillier returned home. When contacted after the Hillier incident, Peshmerga spokesman Helgurd Hekmat said Kurdish law expressly forbids the admission of foreigners to the force, adding “The Peshmerga is a professional fighting force.” The FNAEF then shifted its focus to offering training to the Peshmerga. Founder Ian Bradbury told Rudaw in February the Peshmerga needed “technical and institutional development.” “The influx of individual, uncoordinated, fighter volunteers does not address this need,” Bradbury said. “In some cases, complicates scenarios by diverting precious manpower and resources towards ensuring the protection of those individuals,” he added.
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