Peshmerga all-Shabak battalion ready to fight ISIS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Peshmerga of a Shabak battalion are observing maneuvers of the Islamic State in areas held by the group. They are eager to liberate their areas and return home with their relatives and loved ones who are now based at refugee camps in the Kurdistan region.

“We are Shabak Kurds. We want to liberate our areas. We should ramp up to clean our areas from ISIS. We are ready for any offensive, but waiting orders from authorities,” Mohammed Idris, a Peshmerga from the battalion, told Rudaw. 

Although there is a Shabak battalion comprised of 415 Peshmerga, the Shabaks have also called on the Peshmerga ministry to set up two more battalions. They have registered some 1,000 volunteers and gave these names to the Peshmerga ministry to consider starting more battalions and training bases for volunteers in order to be well prepared for battles. 

“Our battalion belongs to the Peshmerga, and there is no difference between ours and other battalions of the Peshmerga ministry. We receive military equipment including ammunition and weapons. If authorities order us to liberate our Shabak territories, we are ready to do it,” the battalion’s Colonel Mahmood Shabak told Rudaw.