ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish Peshmerga commanders addressed a meeting of the European Union’s parliament in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday, and urged Europeans to provide Peshmerga with needed ammunition and weapons to fight the Islamic State.
“We are fighting [ISIS] on behalf of the international community and civilization. We do not understand why we are not getting enough ammunition,” Sirwan Barzani, the Peshmerga commander of the Gwer-Makhmur front, told the members of the European parliament.
The Peshmerga commanders told the EU MPs that ISIS’ use of chemical weapons presented a major challenge that required assistance. Despite ISIS’ threat of using chemical weapons, the Peshmerga have received only 1,000 gas masks, Barzani said.
“Many times Islamic State fighters have used chemical weapons against Peshmerga. We do not have anything for protection for the Peshmerga," said General Sheikh Jaafar Mustafa, the commander of the Peshmerga’s 70th Brigade.
"ISIS fighters are smart about making weapons. Most of the Peshmerga killed died by roadside bombs and suicide attacks. We need anti-tank weapons to destroy suicide attackers," Sheikh Jaafar added.
Khatun Ali, the commander of female Yezidi Peshmerga forces, also spoke during the meeting. She asked for more ammunition and military support to rescue Yezidi women in ISIS captivity.
Delawar Azhgayi, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) representative to the EU, told Rudaw on Tuesday that the Wednesday visit “comes within the framework of previous visits to Belgium.”
“The European parliament called on Peshmerga commanders on the battlefields to visit the parliament of Europe so to hear their requirements,” he said.
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