Arab refugees from Anbar donate blood for Peshmerga in Erbil
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A group of Arab refugees from Anbar, who recently fled to the Kurdistan Region, have launched an initiative to donate blood at the Erbil Blood Transfusion Center for Peshmerga forces fighting the Islamic State.
"Today, we want to donate our blood for the brave Peshmerga ,as they protect us from ISIS," Mohammed Mahlawi, who is running the campaign, told Rudaw. He stressed that ISIS "is the enemy of us both," referring to Iraq’s Kurds and Arabs.
Mahlawi added that "donating blood for the Peshmerga is the least we can offer to them."
Organizers say Arab refugees across Kurdistan have responded to the call and showed willingness to donate blood to support Peshmarga efforts.
By May, 2015, the total number of Anbar refugees in the Kurdistan region had exceeded 1.7 million, after the ISIS takeover of Ramadi earlier in the same month.
In early September, another group of Arab refugees in Erbil launched a similar campaign to donate blood to the Peshmerga forces.
Since an ISIS attack near Erbil that pulled the Kurdistan Region into the war in August 2014, nearly 1,300 Peshmerga have been killed and 7,500 wounded.
"Today, we want to donate our blood for the brave Peshmerga ,as they protect us from ISIS," Mohammed Mahlawi, who is running the campaign, told Rudaw. He stressed that ISIS "is the enemy of us both," referring to Iraq’s Kurds and Arabs.
Mahlawi added that "donating blood for the Peshmerga is the least we can offer to them."
Organizers say Arab refugees across Kurdistan have responded to the call and showed willingness to donate blood to support Peshmarga efforts.
By May, 2015, the total number of Anbar refugees in the Kurdistan region had exceeded 1.7 million, after the ISIS takeover of Ramadi earlier in the same month.
In early September, another group of Arab refugees in Erbil launched a similar campaign to donate blood to the Peshmerga forces.
Since an ISIS attack near Erbil that pulled the Kurdistan Region into the war in August 2014, nearly 1,300 Peshmerga have been killed and 7,500 wounded.