DUHOK, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces have agreed to fight together with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the push to retake the Yezidi town of Shingal from Islamic State (IS/formerly ISIS) jihadis, a commander said. Qasim Shesho, the commander of Peshmerga forces on Mount Shingal, announced that an agreement had been reached with the YPG, after representatives came to apologize for incidents that had raised tensions. One of those acts, which had been harshly criticized by Shesho, was a YPG attempt to raise the flag of their Democratic Union Party (PYD) at the tomb of Sheikh Sherefeddin, the second-most sacred site for Yezidis. “There are around 200 PYD fighters on Mount Shingal. We have reached an agreement to cooperate for the liberation of Shingal,” Shesho said. “They came and apologized and said that those who committed that action do not represent the PYD,” Shesho reported. “They said let’s unite and work together to free Shingal.” Shesho also said the delegation had told him that Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani had visited YPG fighters in Makhmour. He added that the YPG/PYD representatives “promised to stay with us and support us until we retake Shingal. They said they will help us liberate Shingal and then they will go back to Rojava.” IS forces stormed Shingal last month, killing thousands, taking women as slaves and driving tens of thousands from their homes. The Yezidis are considered “unbelievers” to the ultra-orthodox IS.
