ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— Families of Peshmarga soldiers taken prisoner by the Islamic State militants in January say they have reached an understanding with the Sunni tribal leaders for a possible prisoner exchange between the Peshmarga ministry and the militants.
Relatives say influential Arab families in the city of Hawija, where most of the militants were captured, have agreed to secure the release of Peshmarga fighters in exchange for their own captive militants.
“We have been in touch with the notable Arab families and tribal leaders in the area who received us very warmly,” said the relative of one of the 25 captive Peshmargas who visited the regional parliament in Erbil on Wednesday to rally support behind the initiative.
“The tribal leaders told us that for the release of every Peshmarga soldier, the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] needs to agree to free five ISIS militants,” said the man, who did not wish to be named.
The families of the 25 Peshmarga met with a group of parliamentarians in Erbil to gather support and push the KRG to accept the militants' preconditions.
Most of the Peshmarga prisoners were taken captive in a surprise attack on Kurdish positions near Kirkuk in late January this year. Hawija, a large Arab city in southern Kirkuk province, has been as ISIS stronghold since last year.
Some of the Peshmarga prisoners have spoken to their families through mobile phones and Facebook pages created for them by the militants.
The official death toll for the Kurdish forces is just under 1,000 killed, the KRG announced in January. At least another 200 Peshmarga have been killed since February as clashes intensified in Kirkuk province and Shingal near the Syrian border.
The KRG has formed a special committee with broad powers to negotiate with the tribal families in Hawija.
A source in parliament said the committee has showed willingness to “do what it can to secure the release of the Peshmarga.”
“We have been in touch with top officials in the KRG to see how this can be approached in a way that these families’ loved ones return with dignity,” said Ali Hama Salih, an MP who spoke to the Peshmarga relatives with a group of other lawmakers.
Kurdish security forces in Kirkuk have captured a number of suspected local ISIS collaborators and bombers in the past year. Security forces told Rudaw these detainees could be of “extreme value” in case of the future exchange.
“We have given asylum to so many Arab families and their sons here in Kurdistan. We expect just the same from our Arab neighbors who now hold our sons,” said the mother of a Peshmarga prisoner who had not heard from her son since he was captured in January.
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