Peshmerga Need PYD Greenlight to Join Kobane Defense

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The commander of Kurdistan Region’s special Zervani forces said that the Peshmerga are ready to join the fight in Kobane, but that the move needs the agreement of all parties.

“Sending Peshmerga forces to Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) to defend Kobane needs a political agreement between the Kurdistan Region and the authorities of those areas of Kurdistan,” Aziz Waisi, the commander of the Zeravani Special Forces told Rudaw. “Unless there is such an agreement we can’t take any steps.”

Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga ministry said on Friday that they would do “all they can to assist the people of Kobane” to halt the onslaught of the Islamic State (IS) on the Kurdish city in northern Syria.

However, Waisi said on Saturday that no Peshmerga units have been sent to join the fight yet.

“We are ready to go and defend Rojava if the PYD accepts,” said Waisi. “We cannot go there without their approval.”

The Democratic Union Party (PYD) is the authority in charge of Kobane and other Kurdish areas of Syria.

PYD’s armed wing—the Peoples Protection Units (YPG)—is leading the fight against the IS militants in Kobane.

The commander of the Zeravani Forces said that without clear coordination with the PYD, sending the Peshmerga to Rojava would lead to tensions.

Waisi said that there is no official directive to send forces from the Kurdistan Region to Rojava, but that individuals might have crossed the border to join the fight as volunteers.

Sources close to the PYD said that hundreds of young men from the Kurdish areas of Turkey have joined the YPG units in the past three days for the defense of Kobane.

Also on Friday the Turkish government opened its borders to tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the IS assault on their city.