Yezidi commander: PKK trained us to protect our Iraqi identity

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—A senior leader of the Yezidi forces in the Shingal region, known as YBS, says that the Yezidis do not accept a merger with the Kurdistan Region and their fight is to preserve their Iraqi identity, expecting bigger clashes in the coming days.

Speaking on Afaq TV, Saeed Hassan, a leader of the YBS was introduced as part of the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary which is funded and armed by the Iraqi government to fight ISIS alongside the army.

Hassan said that reports that the Rojava Peshmerga were fighting PKK members in the Khanasor and Shingal region were untrue and that local Yezidis were the main target of the attacks of last week.

He admitted however that PKK commanders were in the region for training purposes.

“Only PKK advisors were in the region to train us Yezidis to defend ourselves and protect our Iraqi identity and nothing more,” Hassan told Afaq TV, a channel affiliated with Iraq’s Vice President and former PM Nouri al-Maliki.

He went on to say that the Peshmerga “efforts are to merge the Shingal region into the Kurdistan Region but we as Yezidis will never accept or allow that to happen.”

Members of the YBS and the Rojava Peshmerga, Syrian Kurds trained by the Peshmerga ministry and coalition forces, came to clashes at Sinune and Khanasor last week were several were killed, mainly from the YBS.

 

“Nine members of our security forces were killed,” said Hassan.

Hassan who spoke with the Iraqi TV station in Baghdad warned that there will be bigger clashes in the future.

He said: “There is a ceasefire now for military reasons but the problem hasn’t ended and clashes will resume again and next time it will be even bigger because we don’t accept their presence there.”

“I call on the Iraqi government and Iraqi people to stand by the Iraqi Yezidis in Shingal.”