Protestors killed and injured after Rojava Peshmerga open fire on Yazidi demonstration in Iraq
tom_taylor_20
At least one person has died and at least ten were injured after Syrian Rojava Peshmerga fired shots at a demonstration in the Yazidi town of Khanasor, near Sinjar, Iraq, on March 14.
several (i saw 2) civilians wounded as #kdp shoots at march at the front line against kdp's #treachery, as protesters called it. #singal
It is difficult to piece together precisely what happened given the divided loyalties of people on the ground.
Robin Ronî, a reporter for ANF, a Turkey-based pro-KCK media outlet, attended the demonstration, as did independent journalist Frederike Geerdink. Other media outlets reporting the events seem to be basing their reports on information from these reporters.
Khanasor is also known by its Kurdish name Xanasor, and Sinjar as Sengal.
protesters at front lines in #xanasor where mostly kurds and arabs from #hasake (rojava), in #sengal area to support #ybs.
The demonstration against the Peshmerga presence in Khanasor started around 9am when people from the Sinjar area, Yazidis living in the Newroz refugee camp in Syria and Syrian Kurds gathered to march on Peshmerga positions, according to reports and confirmed by Matthew Barber who has spoken to people in Khanasor.
The YBŞ – Sinjar Resistance Units – and the all-female YJŞ are Yazidi militias aligned with the KCK, the wider Kurdish movement that includes the Turkish PKK, the Syria YPG and YPJ and other groups in Iran and Iraq.
Fighters from the Yezidi YBŞ Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) hold up a painting of Abdullah Öcalan, their political leader. CC-BY SA/Kurdishstruggle/Flickr
Formed in 2007 to protect the Yazidi community in Iraq, the YBŞ shares the political ideology of the KCK, and YBŞ/YJŞ fighters are trained by the PKK and YPG.
Confusingly, both militias have renamed themselves to change the reference to Sinjar to Ezidkhan or Êzîdxan – the Land of the Yazidis. The original acronyms remain more common.
HPŞ
The Protection Force of Êzîdxan or HPŞ is a Yazidi militia founded by Haydar Shesho in 2014 in response to IS attacks on Yezidis.
To match the KCK-linked militias, the group changed its name to Hêza Parastina Êzîdxanê or HPÊ, and both acronyms are common.
On March 9, the HPŞ announced that it would join the Peshmerga and take orders from the President of the KRG, Massoud Barzani, and a brigade of 1,000 fighters is planned.
Rojava Peshmerga
The Rojava Peshmerga is considered the military wing of the Syrian National Council (ENKS), a coalition of six political parties dominated by the Syria KDP which is inextricably linked to the KRG-ruling Iraqi KDP and the Barzani family.
Based in Iraq, the Rojava Peshmerga comprises 3,000 to 5,000 fighters and is trained and controlled by the KDP Peshmerga.
The Rojava Peshmerga has been prevented from entering Syria by the PYD and YPG.
KDP Peshmerga
Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq are divided between two political parties – the KDP of Massoud Barzani and the PUK led by Jalal Talabani. The PUK and its ally Gorran are more open to dialogue with parties aligned to the KCK.
Live updates
tom_taylor_20
Excellent piece about the intro-Kurdish/Yezidi tensions in #Sinjar– a sign of contestation for power that will unfold post #ISIShttps://t.co/WWMmM4ECuG