ALQUSH, Mosul—Around 1,000 Christian fighters in the Nineveh Plains near Mosul are hopeful that the US Congress’ recent arms bill will also include their forces in the war against Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
General Behnam Aboush who manages a Christian military training base in Alqush, north of Mosul, told Rudaw the arms assistance could effectively help their local recruits to fend off ISIS threat from their areas.
“We really hope that we receive our portion of the US arm assistance which have a great impact on our participation in the fight against the terror groups,” Aboush said.
As part of a defense-spending bill the US congress recommended earlier in May that the anti-ISIS groups including the Christians be included in the US arm help for Iraq.
"The committee believes that the United States should support appropriately vetted, effective indigenous groups such as Iraqi Christian militias, with a national security mission,” the congress bill recommended.
Nineveh plains, located mainly in Nineveh province where the ISIS-held Mosul is the capital, has been one of the most volatile regions in Iraq with a rich mixture of ethnic and religious groups.
Christian localities in the area have often been vulnerable amid the ongoing sectarian tensions that forced many of the families to leave their homes for the safety of the Kurdish controlled territories or simply migrating to Europe.
Hundreds of Christian fighters have been trained by the Kurdish Peshmerga in the last two years and they have taken part in some frontline battles against the jihadists.
Some Christian fighters have also taken over the security of their liberated villages.
“We wanted our troops to have good ties with both Kurdistan region and Iraq and still be a Christian force in the area,” said Romio Hakari, general secretary of the Christian Bait al-Nahrain Party.
General Behnam Aboush who manages a Christian military training base in Alqush, north of Mosul, told Rudaw the arms assistance could effectively help their local recruits to fend off ISIS threat from their areas.
“We really hope that we receive our portion of the US arm assistance which have a great impact on our participation in the fight against the terror groups,” Aboush said.
As part of a defense-spending bill the US congress recommended earlier in May that the anti-ISIS groups including the Christians be included in the US arm help for Iraq.
"The committee believes that the United States should support appropriately vetted, effective indigenous groups such as Iraqi Christian militias, with a national security mission,” the congress bill recommended.
Nineveh plains, located mainly in Nineveh province where the ISIS-held Mosul is the capital, has been one of the most volatile regions in Iraq with a rich mixture of ethnic and religious groups.
Christian localities in the area have often been vulnerable amid the ongoing sectarian tensions that forced many of the families to leave their homes for the safety of the Kurdish controlled territories or simply migrating to Europe.
Hundreds of Christian fighters have been trained by the Kurdish Peshmerga in the last two years and they have taken part in some frontline battles against the jihadists.
Some Christian fighters have also taken over the security of their liberated villages.
“We wanted our troops to have good ties with both Kurdistan region and Iraq and still be a Christian force in the area,” said Romio Hakari, general secretary of the Christian Bait al-Nahrain Party.
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