For Christian Peshmerga brigadier, war with ISIS cuts close to home

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – For Ewed Qais Nheli, whose dedication and 40 years as a Peshmerga have earned him the rank of brigadier, the Kurdistan region’s war with the Islamic State group touches close to the heart: that is because he is a Christian.

The dozens of Christian towns, villages and hamlets scattered across the Kurdistan region were especially targeted with the brutality of the religious fanatics, who have waged war against the autonomous Kurdish enclave since August 2014.

“I feel so sad to hear about Christians abandoning villages on the frontlines,” said Nheli, who explained that he is the only Christian brigadier among the Peshmerga.

“I would like to ask those Christians not to leave their villages, because there is no doubt they will regret doing so,” the commander warned in an interview with Rudaw, as his forces fight ISIS in the village of Wanke at the Mosul Dam.

Across Iraq, ISIS has killed and looted en masse in Christian villages, wiping or driving out some of the oldest Christian communities in the world. The vast majority of Iraq’s Christians has either migrated abroad or sought shelter in the Kurdistan region. By some estimates, 95 percent of Iraq’s Christians now live in the autonomous Kurdish enclave.

Among the more than 1,000 Peshmerga killed and over 5,000 wounded in the war with ISIS, there have been dozens of Christian dead and hundreds wounded.

“Until now the Christians have played a great role alongside the Peshmerga forces and have taken part in several difficult battles,” Nheli said. “Besides hundreds of wounded, dozens of Christian Peshmerga --  including my father Hormoz Malk Jako -- have been martyred in Christian villages.”

In the force where he serves, Nheli said his religion has never made a difference.

“I have never felt any discrimination against myself or anyone from other sects,” he said, pointing to his own senior rank as evidence.

He explained that there are other Christian commanders among the Peshmerga, but “I am the first Christian to reach the level of brigadier in the Peshmerga forces.”

The US-led coalition has called the Peshmerga the most reliable force on the ground in the war with ISIS. The Peshmerga have been fighting with air cover from the coalition.

Nheli said that Christians “have been given great opportunities” in Kurdistan, including politically.

Nheli also explained that he had lost five family members in a bomb attack on his home by late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces. It was after he became a Peshmerga.

Coexistence, he said, has always reigned among the Kurds: “There are dozens of Christian villages and districts in Duhok, Hawler (Erbil) and Kirkuk provinces.”