Peshmerga

Peshmerga Pêşmerge / پێشمەرگە
guide
Commander in Chief :	Masud Barzani
Defense Minister:	Karim Sinjari
Headquarters:	Erbil , second office: Sulaimaniyya
Military strength
Active soldiers:	150,000 (2017)
Conscription:	exposed
Eligibility for military service:	Age 17 and over
Share of soldiers in the total population:	3.16%
household
Military budget:	$ 1 billion (2014)
Share of gross domestic product :	0.86% share of Iraqi GDP
history
Founding:	1943
Factual foundation:	1890s

Peshmerga ( Kurdish پێشمەرگە Pêşmerge , from پێش / pêş "forward" and مەرگە / merg "death"; Loosely translated: "Those who face death") describes the armed forces of the autonomous region of Kurdistan . This Kurdish term has existed since the 1880s. The armed units of the Komalah and PDK-I political parties in Iran, as well as the units of several Kurdish parties in Syria , also call themselves Peshmerga .

Surname

Because the Peshmerga in the sorani - and kurmandschisprechenden areas of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan live, there are two spellings for the term. In Kurmanji the term is described with Pêşmerge and in Sorani with پێشمەرگە . The term consists of the two Kurdish words pês (for forward ) and merg (for death ) and can literally be translated as Die Prepare to die . The name is increasingly being translated in the international media as those who see death in the eye . In the Kurdish media one can often find the term هێزی پێشمەرگە / Hêzên Pêşmerge (for partisan army ).

history

The historical roots of the Peshmerga go back to the time of the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Qajar dynasty, which had divided control over the territory of the Kurds until the 1920s . During this time, the Kurdish independence movement, whose roots can again be traced back to the 1890s, grew stronger and the first units of armed Peshmerga fighters were set up.

The term peshmerga was first coined by the Kurdish politician and intellectual Ibrahim Ahmed , who first co-founded the Democratic Party of Kurdistan , then later the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan . Since then, the name has established itself for most fighters of the Kurdish parties and organizations. So he can refer to the combatants of ideologically completely different parties, such as the units of the PUK, PDK, Komalah or the PDKI .

From 1961 and again from the spring of 1969, revolts broke out in Iraq between the government troops and the Peshmerga, who had been fighting against the central government under Mustafa Barzani since 1961 . Although signed Saddam Hussein and the Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani in 1970 a peace treaty that granted the Kurds political autonomy. The fighting did not end until 1975 with the surrender of the Kurds. This surrender on the part of the PDK angered large parts of the Kurdish population and resulted in the founding of the PUK. During the Iraqi-Iranian war from 1980 to 1988, the Peshmerga again controlled a large part of the three Kurdish provinces. After the Second Gulf War in 1991 and the establishment of the northern no-fly zone , the Peshmerga, as part of the Raperîn , took control of the Kurdish region, including larger cities such as Sulaimaniyya , Erbil or Duhok . In the mid-1990s, the DPK-PUK conflict broke out , which ended in 1997 with an agreement. After the Iraq war and the fall of Saddam Hussein, the Peshmerga were included in the Iraqi constitution and recognized as the official army of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region. The constitution allows them to operate in the rest of Iraq. This is due to the fact that large parts of the Kurdish populated regions of Iraq are not yet officially part of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region.

Women have also served in the Peshmerga since 1996. In 2007 the Peshmerga- Zeravani , a militarized gendarmerie , were founded.

There is also the unit Lexoman Parastin ( loosely translated, Those who use their lives to protect the people ), known under the more common name Dije Terror (anti-terror). As a military anti-terrorist unit, they deal with imminent assassinations and attacks. In the war against the Islamic State , they were deployed several times in the Chanaqin and Kirkuk regions .

The President of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan and Commander-in-Chief of the Peshmerga, Masud Barzani , ordered the necessary reforms at the end of August 2014 to bring the Peshmerga under a single command. In a previous investigation - due to the rapid ISIS land gains - the inconsistent command structure was identified as the greatest deficiency. According to the US think tank Washington Institute for Near East Policy , the Peshmerga were grouped as follows at that time: 33,000 soldiers, 30,000 armed forces (more or less comparable to police forces and subordinate to the Kurdish Interior Ministry) and 70,000 fighters in small associations, which more or less are heavily subordinate to either the Democratic Party of Kurdistan or the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan . The political rivalry between the two parties repeatedly makes coordination difficult. In the Kirkuk area in particular , they are fighting against each other for political supremacy.

Peshmerga and US soldiers cleaning their equipment in Erbil 2005

Peshmerga during training in Marez near Mosul 2010

Events after the Iraq War

At the end of May 2007, the US Army handed over all security for the three Kurdish provinces to the Peshmerga. A 30-page regulatory agreement was signed between the Kurdish regional government, the Kurdish high command and the US armed forces , which describes the future status of the Peshmerga - now renamed the Regional Guard. The Peshmerga are managed as a unified army for the financial year 2010; their name is Kurdish Border Guard . The exact number of men is secret. However, it is reported from Kurdish government circles that the Peshmerga, unlike the Iraqi armed forces , are divided into brigades . 21 brigades are planned. The Kurdish government had originally aimed for a manpower of 78,000 soldiers. In addition, two new Iraqi divisions will be formed from the Peshmerga , which will be under Iraqi command. It is also said that the Peshmerga have the right to procure all equipment except for combat aircraft, including combat helicopters and battle tanks. The American armed forces will train the peshmerga in the future.

Peshmerga soldier with his Colt M16

Confrontations with Turkey

After Turkey threatened to march into northern Iraq because of PKK activities at the end of 2007, Masud Barzani immediately stationed thousands of Peshmergas on the border. The situation is now relaxed. After the major Turkish ground offensive in northern Iraq, the autonomous government sent another 2,000 additional Kurdish fighters to the border. According to Fuad Hussein from the presidential office of the Kurdish region in Iraq, there was a firefight between Kurdish fighters and Turkish armed forces. The Peshmerga security forces tried to prevent the Turks from advancing with tanks, he said. There was a firefight. "These reports are absolutely untrue and are intended to manipulate public opinion," claimed the Turkish General Staff. A spokesman for the Peshmerga also denied Hussein's account. There was no fighting with Turkish troops, he said.

Confrontations with Iran

In the past there were also clashes between Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard . The armed clashes began in 2007 with the violent death of ten Kurdish demonstrators in Marivan . In August 2007, the armed forces of Iran launched a major offensive against the PJAK presence in northern Iraq and artillery fire on PJAK camps and Kurdish villages. Iran had not made an official statement about operations in Iraq. Protest came from the Kurdish regional government of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan . The Iranian government wants to keep the PJAK out of Iran by building a barrier at the border crossing to Iraq.

Confrontations with Iraq

In October 2017, the Iraqi army with allied Shiite militias surprisingly overran Kirkuk after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the offensive in response to the Kurds' previous independence referendum.

Although well positioned at first, the Peshmerga fled the city with about half a million people when the fighting began.

Defense against IS troops and victory over IS in Sinjar

Peshmerga on a T-55 outside Kirkuk in June 2014

In June 2014, the Peshmerga secured the regions around Kirkuk and northern parts of Mosul from attacks by IS following the escape of Iraqi troops . The units acted on direct orders from the Kurdistan Autonomous Region government . The Peshmerga advanced beyond the borders of this region into the disputed parts of Iraq, so that these regions are now de facto part of the Kurdish autonomous region.

Since June 2014 PUK Peshmerga, reinforced by fighters from the PYD and PKK and supported by attacks by the Iraqi air force , have been fighting against IS in the Chanaqin area . There, Shiite militias are also fighting IS, which is spreading fear and terror among the population.

From Rojava , the armed militias of the Kurdish party PYD , the YPG , were able to fight their way through a corridor to Sinjar and thus enable an escape route for the Kurdish minority. This was primarily possible because the PYD units already had years of experience in the fight against IS and other terrorist groups. Following the retreat of the Peshmerga, they gathered in the safe autonomous area and shortly afterwards marched again towards Sinjar in order to liberate the region together with the YPG. More modern weapons from Germany and other western countries were also used.

Since the fighting began in June 2014, more than 5,500 peshmerga have been injured and more than 1,500 killed (as of July 2015), with around 70% of the cases being attributable to unconventional explosive devices (IEDs).

In mid-November 2015, the Kurdish army started the Middle East's largest ground offensive to date against IS. Here, especially the areas were around the Sinjar Mountains freed, including parts of the Kurdish religious minority Yazidi important city Sengal . Since then, the city of Shengal has continued to be highly competitive. Finally, the Peshmerga units managed to completely liberate Sinjar on November 12 and 13, 2015 with an operation that had been prepared for several months and with Allied air support. This represented another important strategic as well as moral and psychological victory over IS. Since then, the Kurdish regional government (KRG) has proclaimed the city of Sinjar as part of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan. The US pledged support for the KRG in rebuilding the city.

criticism

The human rights organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as well as a diplomatic observer accuse the Peshmerga of deliberately and systematically destroying Arab settlements and expelling the residents in disputed areas claimed by the Iraqi Kurdistan government under the guise of fighting ISIS to make the areas Kurdish and a referendum stipulated in the Iraqi constitution, which should have decided on the future of the areas by the end of 2007, but was never carried out, obsolete. The Kurdish regional government vehemently denies the allegations and claims the measures were militarily necessary because the IS had prepared the houses with booby traps.

Some of the weapons delivered to the Peshmerga, including German G-36 rifles, are said to have turned up in arms markets in the region and fell into the hands of ISIS as well as being used against rival Yezidi militias.

According to Human Rights Watch, Peshmerga people murdered hundreds of male prisoners between August 28 and September 3, 2017, and buried the bodies in a mass grave. The Iraqi and foreign alleged IS fighters were previously detained in a school in Sahel al-Maliha . From there they were transferred to a prison in Shiglia before they were taken to two sites near Zumar to be murdered there. The representative of the Kurdish autonomous region, Dindar Sebari , denied the events.

Missions of the Peshmerga

A list of the Peshmerga missions. The years stand for the actual time the Peshmerga was deployed, not for the duration of the respective battle or war.

Completed missions

• First Gulf War in 1980–1988
• Operation Dawn from 1983–1988
• Operation Dawn 2 in 1983
• Operation Dawn 4 in 1983
• Second Gulf War in 1991
• Raperîn in 1991
• Third Gulf War , especially the battles for Mosul and Kirkuk in 2003
• Operation Phantom Phoenix in 2008
• Siege of Amerli in 2014
• Battle for Sharaf ad-Din in 2014–2015
• Fight for Kobanê in 2014–2015
• Battle for Zumar in 2014-2015
• Operation Free Shingal in November 2015

Ongoing missions

• Iraq crisis after US withdrawal since 2011
• Iraq crisis since 2011
• Syrian civil war since 2014

equipment

In 2014, the Bundeswehr delivered several dingoes to the Kurdish armed forces

For a long time, traditional clothing, which included wide loden trousers, often a yellow fabric belt and colorful sashes, was typical. However, this was gradually replaced by modern camouflage uniforms, which, due to their camouflage properties, offer real, potentially life-saving added value compared to old clothing; these suits are worn by men and women alike.

The Peshmerga relied mainly on old equipment that still comes from the former Eastern Bloc. This applies to armored vehicles, artillery and machine guns of the DSchK type as well as to soldiers' rifles. The MP5 and G3 from Heckler & Koch are an exception, but they have not found such widespread use as the AK-47 /74 . In recent years, with the help of the United States , the Peshmerga have armored themselves and also came into possession of combat vehicles and tanks ( T-72 , T-55 ). Most recently, the Peshmerga also own US and modern Russian systems, including the M16 , M82 , Humvees and 9K310 Igla-1 and 9K38 Igla .

American sources indicate that the Peshmerga have the following equipment:

• a few hundred PT-76 tanks
• between 150 and 450 T-72 and T-55 main battle tanks
• tens of thousands of M-16 rifles
• an unknown number of 105mm M101 artillery
• also an unknown number of BMP-1 armored personnel carriers

From autumn 2014, Germany will also supply light ground-to-ground anti-tank guided weapons of the MILAN type (60 pieces with 1,000 guided weapons), other G3 rifles (12,000 pieces), G36 rifles (planned 8,000 pieces) and MG3 machine guns (50 Pieces), the Panzerfaust 3 (400 pieces) and older P1 pistols (8000 pieces).

According to a spokesman for the German Federal Ministry of Defense , another weapon was delivered to Erbil on August 16, 2016 . A total of 70 tons of armaments, including 1,500 HK G36 assault rifles , 100 anti-tank guided missiles of the MILAN type and three armored vehicles of the Dingo 1 type were delivered.

Small arms

Surname	origin	Type	caliber	annotation
NATO standard
Walther P1	Germany	gun	9 × 19 mm	8000 delivered from Germany
MP5	Germany	Submachine gun	9 × 19 mm
M4A1	United States	Carabiner	5.56 x 45 mm
HS product VHS	Croatia	Assault rifle	5.56 x 45 mm	20,000 bought from Croatia
G36	Germany	Assault rifle	5.56 x 45 mm	12,000 delivered from Germany
M16 (rifle)	United States	Assault rifle	5.56 x 45 mm
Heckler & Koch G3	Germany	Assault rifle	7.62 x 51 mm	12,000 delivered from Germany
MG3	Germany	Machine gun	7.62 x 51 mm	50 from Germany and 100 from Italy
Browning M2	United States	heavy machine gun	12.7 x 99 mm	100 from Italy
M40 (rifle)	United States	Sniper rifle	7.62 x 51 mm
M24 (rifle)	United States	Sniper rifle	7.62 x 51 mm
Barrett M82 A1	United States	Sniper rifle	12.7 x 99 mm
Soviet standard
Makarov (pistol)	Soviet Union	gun	9 × 18 mm
Zastava M92	Serbia	Carabiner	7.62 × 39 mm
Zastava M93	Serbia	Sniper rifle	12.7 × 108 mm 12.7 × 99 mm
AK-47	Soviet Union	Assault rifle	7.62 × 39 mm	Standard rifle of the Peshmerga
AKM	Soviet Union	Assault rifle	7.62 × 39 mm	Standard rifle of the Peshmerga
RPK (machine gun)	Soviet Union	light machine gun	7.62 × 39 mm
PK (machine gun)	Soviet Union	Machine gun	7.62 × 54 mm rows
DSchK (machine gun)	Soviet Union	heavy machine gun	12.7 x 108 mm
Tabuk Sniper Rifle	Iraq	Sniper rifle	7.62 × 39 mm
Dragunov sniper rifle	Soviet Union	Sniper rifle	7.62 × 54 mm rows

Anti-tank

Surname	origin	Type	caliber	annotation
RPG-7	Soviet Union	reactive anti-tank rifle	40 mm
Panzerfaust 3	Germany	Anti-tank hand weapon	60 mm	400 pieces
FFV AT 4	Sweden / United States	Anti-tank hand weapon	84 mm
FFV Carl Gustaf	Sweden / Germany	reactive anti-tank rifle	84 mm	40 pieces
BGM-71 TOW	United States	Anti-tank guided missile	152 mm
MILAN	France / Germany	Anti-tank guided missile	115 mm	60 pieces
M40 recoilless gun	United States	portable gun	105 mm

mortar

Surname	origin	Type	caliber	annotation
2B9	Soviet Union	mortar	82 mm
M224	United States	light grenade launcher	60 mm
M252	United Kingdom	medium mortar	81 mm
M-29	United States	mortar	81 mm
122mm Howitzer M1938 (M-30)	Soviet Union	medium field howitzer	120 mm

Portable air defense systems

Surname	origin	Type	caliber	annotation
9K32 Strela-2	Soviet Union	Man Portable Air Defense System	72 mm
9K310 Igla-1	Soviet Union	Man Portable Air Defense System	72 mm
9K38 Igla	Soviet Union	Man Portable Air Defense System	72 mm

vehicles

Surname	origin	Type	number	annotation
T-72	Soviet Union	Main battle tank	<30	in service since 2003
T-62	Soviet Union	Main battle tank	170	170 on active duty
T-55	Soviet Union	Main battle tank	95/215	95 in active service, 120 in need of a major overhaul
PT-76	Soviet Union	Light floating tank	<70	in service since 2003
BMP-1	Soviet Union	Armored personnel carriers	<30	in service since 2003
MT-LB	Soviet Union	Troop transport	<80	in service since 2003
ATF dingo	Germany	Scout vehicle	19th	20 delivered by Germany, 1 destroyed
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle	United States	Ambush - protected vehicle	~ 150	Taken over by fleeing Iraqi troops in 2014 & delivery from the USA in 2016
M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle	United States	Armored personnel carriers	<45	taken over by fleeing Iraqi troops in 2014
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	Reconnaissance tanks	<10	in service since 2003

Logistics vehicles

Surname	origin	Type	number	annotation
Urals-5323	Russia	heavy four-axle off-road vehicle (8 × 8, 10 t)
Mercedes-Benz Atego	Germany	Trucks (4 × 4, 5 t)	5-25	bought from Germany
GAZ-3309 7	Russia	Trucks (4 × 4, 2 t)
GAZ-66	Soviet Union	Trucks (4 × 4, 2 t)
Unimog	Germany	Small trucks (4 × 4, 2 t)	40	delivered from Germany
Unimog	Germany	Medical vehicles (4 × 4, 2 t)	10	delivered from Germany
High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle	United States	all-terrain vehicle
Wolf (vehicle)	Germany	Military vehicle	60	delivered from Germany
Toyota Land Cruiser	Japan	Off-road vehicle

artillery

Surname	origin	Type	number	annotation
2S1	Soviet Union	Self-propelled gun
BM-21	Soviet Union	Multiple rocket launcher system
Type 63 (107mm MLR)	People's Republic of China	Multiple rocket launchers
M198 (howitzer)	United States	howitzer
122mm howitzer D-30 (2A18)	Soviet Union	howitzer
122mm Howitzer M1938 (M-30)	Soviet Union	howitzer
152mm Howitzer M1955 (D-20)	Soviet Union	howitzer

Air defense

Surname	origin	Type	number	annotation
20mm Mle F2	France	Air defense
SU- 23-2	Soviet Union	Air defense
KS-30	Soviet Union	Air defense
Type 63 (Flak)	People's Republic of China	Air defense

helicopter

Surname	origin	Type	number	annotation
Bell 206	United States	Multipurpose helicopter
Bell OH-58 Kiowa	United States	Combat zone reconnaissance and target assignment helicopters
Swiss S-333	United States	Multipurpose helicopter
Bell UH-1	United States	Multipurpose helicopter
MD 530F	United States	Multipurpose helicopter	12 ordered
MD Helicopters Explorer	United States	Multipurpose helicopter	2 ordered
Mil Wed-17	Soviet Union	Transport helicopter	2	borrowed from Iraq
Eurocopter EC 120	France	Multipurpose helicopter
Eurocopter EC 135	Germany	Multipurpose helicopter

literature

• Klaus Imbeck, photos: Klaus P. Siebahn: Kurds: Welcome to the eyes and heart. In: Geo-Magazin. Issue 3, Hamburg 1979, ISSN  0342-8311 , pp. 138-156. (Informative experience report: "Kurds in Iraq and Turkey have been fighting for their independence for decades .... A new generation of guerrillas is continuing the fight in the inaccessible mountains.").
• Michael G. Lortz: Willing to Face Death: A History of Kurdish Military Forces - the Peshmerga - from the Ottoman Empire to Present-Day Iraq . In: Florida State University Libraries . 2005.
• David Adamson: The Kurdish War . Praeger, New York, 1964.
• Masud Barzani : Mustafa Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement (1931–1961) . In: Palgrave Macmillian . 2003.
• Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou: Kurdistan and the Kurds . In: Publishing House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences . Collet's Ltd. 1965.
• Michael M. Gunter: The Kurdish Predicament in Iraq . In: St. Martin's Press . 1999.

Web links

Commons : Peshmerga  - collection of images

Wiktionary: Peshmerga  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Kurds plan to Invade South Article from the 'Information Clearing House' of December 28, 2005 (English)
• Kurds Vow to Retain Militia as Guardians of Autonomy Article from The New York Times, February 27, 2005

Individual evidence

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ basnews.com ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Michael G. Lortz: Willing to Face Death: A History of Kurdish Military Forces - the Peshmerga - from the Ottoman Empire to Present-Day Iraq. Florida State University Libraries, pp. 5 ff., 39 ff. , Accessed on May 8, 2016 . 
4. ↑ CJ Chivers With David Rohde: In Iraq's Kurdish Zone, Anti-Hussein Forces Wait for US In: The New York Times . March 21, 2003, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed May 8, 2016]).
5. ^ ^{A b} bundeswehr.de: Training in Iraq: A first balance sheet. In: www.bundeswehr.de. Retrieved May 8, 2016 . 
6. ^ ^{A b} Gareth RV Stansfield, Jomo: Iraqi Kurdistan: Political Development and Emergent Democracy . Routledge, 2003, ISBN 978-1-134-41416-1 , pp. 61-65, 70 ff . ( google.com [accessed May 8, 2016]).
7. ↑ Feryad Fazil Omar: Kurdish-German Dictionary (Soranî) . Berlin 2005, ISBN 978-3-932574-10-8 , pp. 202 .
8. ↑ KurdishMedia.com - Articles and opinion Regarding Kurdish issue. October 24, 2004, archived from the original on October 24, 2004 ; accessed on May 8, 2016 . 
9. ↑ Sarbest Bahjat: Political Development of the Kurds in Iraq from 1975 to 1993: with special reference to Saddam Hussein's Kurdish policy . Klaus Schwarz, 2001, ISBN 978-3-87997-290-6 , pp. 74 ff . ( google.com [accessed May 8, 2016]).
10. ↑ Fighting women: Kurdish “Amazons” hunt down jihadists. In: Courier. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
11. ^ NTM-I graduates 749 Iraqi Federal Police. NATO, accessed May 8, 2016 . 
12. ↑ ^{a b} Kurdistan’s elite counterterrorism group takes the fight to ISIS. In: Business Insider. Retrieved May 8, 2016 . 
13. ^ Liam Anderson, Gareth Stansfield: Crisis in Kirkuk: The Ethnopolitics of Conflict and Compromise . University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011, ISBN 0-8122-0604-5 , pp. 108 ( google.com [accessed May 8, 2016]).
14. ↑ ئۆپەراسیۆنی ھێزەکانی پێشمەرگەو دژە تیرۆر. In: KurdSat TV. Retrieved May 8, 2016 . 
15. ^ Governor appreciates support of Kurdish intelligence agency. (No longer available online.) In: Kirkuk Now. May 3, 2012, archived from the original on May 8, 2016 ; Retrieved May 8, 2016 (American English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
16. ^ Sources: Barzani Orders Peshmerga Forces Reformed, United . Retrieved August 26, 2014.
17. ^ What Iraq's Kurdish Peshmerga Really Need. In: www.washingtoninstitute.org. Washington Institute for Near East Policy , accessed May 8, 2016 . 
18. ↑ Iraqi Peshmerga in the fight against IS. In: derStandard.at. Retrieved October 17, 2015 . 
19. ↑ Kurdish fighters threaten Turkey. In: derStandard.at. Retrieved October 17, 2015 . 
20. ↑ Dozens of dead in the Turkish offensive in Iraq . In: Welt Online . February 23, 2008.
21. ↑ Turkish military fights against Kurds in Iraq. In: Reuters. February 21, 2008, accessed October 17, 2015 . 
22. ↑ Report of the Financial Times Deutschland of August 21, 2007 ( Memento of September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
23. ↑ http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/151020177
24. ^ Yonah Alexander, Dean Alexander: The Islamic State: Combating The Caliphate Without Borders . Lexington Books, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4985-2512-1 , pp. 242 .
25. ↑ Markus Bickel: Fights in Iraq - The Peshmerga have come to stay. In: faz.net . June 18, 2014, accessed November 26, 2014 . 
26. ↑ Karin Mlodoch: United Front against the Islamic State. In: akweb.de. Retrieved October 17, 2015 . 
27. ↑ Karin Mlodoch: The fear is great. In: akweb.de. Retrieved October 17, 2015 . 
28. ↑ Encircled: The lonely struggle of the Peshmerga. (No longer available online.) In: ARTE. November 3, 2014, archived from the original on November 7, 2015 ; accessed on October 17, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
29. ↑ Enno Lenze: The role of the Peshmerga in the Shingal massacre. In: EnnoLenze.de. December 1, 2014, accessed October 17, 2015 . 
30. ↑ Shwan Barzinji: Peshmerga Casualties Against IS Militants Pass 1500. In: BasNews.com. BasNews, April 2, 2015, accessed October 17, 2015 . 
31. ↑ KRG HAS SPENT NEARLY $ 7 MILLION TO TREAT INJURED PESHMERGA. In: NRT TV. nrttv.com, accessed October 17, 2015 . 
32. ↑ Campbell MacDiarmid: Minister: Canadian demining robots 'will save many, many lives'. In: Rudaw. Rudaw Media Network, January 28, 2015, accessed October 17, 2015 . 
33. ↑ Sinjar-Berg: Peshmerga fighters are greeted by the Yazidis. In: basnews.net. BasNews, December 19, 2014, accessed October 17, 2015 . 
34. ↑ Kurds recapture territory in Iraq. In: tagesschau.de. ARD, December 18, 2014, accessed on October 17, 2015 (German). 
35. ↑ FOCUS Online: Sinjar: Kurds in Iraq start offensive. In: FOCUS Online. Retrieved May 8, 2016 . 
36. ↑ Commander: only forces under Peshmerga command can operate in Shingal. In: Rudaw. Retrieved October 17, 2015 . 
37. ↑ Kurds take Sinjar, Obama sees himself confirmed. In: tagesschau.de. Accessed November 23, 2015 (German). 
38. ↑ After reconquest: First recordings from the Iraqi city of Sinjar. In: euronewsde. Retrieved November 23, 2015 . 
39. ↑ Mass graves found: Kurdish Peshmerga recapture Sinjar from IS. In: Today. Retrieved November 23, 2015 . 
40. ↑ Northern Iraq: Kurds recapture Sinjar from IS. In: ZEIT ONLINE. Retrieved November 23, 2015 . 
41. ↑ Iraqi Kurdistan: Arab Homes Destroyed After ISIS Battles , Human Rights Watch, November 13, 2016
42. ↑ Iraq: Kurdish authorities bulldoze homes and banish hundreds of Arabs from Kirkuk , Amnesty International, November 7, 2016
43. ^ ^{A b} Destroying Homes for Kurdistan , Sara Elizabeth Williams, Foreign Policy , July 23, 2015
44. ↑ Human Rights Watch: Kurds illegally destroying Arab homes in Iraq , Yasmin Amer, CNN, November 14, 2016
45. ↑ Is Iraq's Kirkuk on verge of becoming independent region? ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Al-Monitor, July 8, 2016 
46. ^ In fight against Islamic State, Kurds expand their territory , Reuters, October 10, 2016
47. ↑ Iraqi Kurds' destruction of Arab villages could be war crime: HRW , Reuters, November 13, 2016
48. ↑ IS fighters captured Bundeswehr rifles , Matthias Gebauer, Spiegel online, March 8, 2016
49. ↑ Kurdish militia apparently fights against Yazidis with German weapons , Matthias Gebauer, Christoph Sydow, Gerald Traufetter, Spiegel online, March 6, 2017
50. ↑ Kurds are said to have carried out mass executions
51. ↑ ediss.uni-goettingen.de (PDF).
52. ↑ ^{a b c d} Support of the government of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan in the care of the refugees and in the fight against the Islamic State in Northern Iraq. (PDF (30 kB)) (No longer available online.) Bmvg.de , August 31, 2014, archived from the original on July 21, 2015 ; Retrieved November 26, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
53. ↑ ISIS Terro in Northern Iraq - Germany delivers these weapons to the Kurds. bild.de , August 31, 2014, accessed November 26, 2014 . 
54. ↑ ^{a b} Follow-up deliveries to the Kurds Bundeswehr.de. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
55. ↑ Iraq: Germany is again supplying weapons to Kurds. Zeit Online , August 17, 2016, accessed August 17, 2016 . 
56. ↑ ^{a b c d} ISIS terror in Northern Iraq. August 2014, accessed September 8, 2014 . 
57. ↑ Krešimir Žabec: ZARADA U RATU S ISLAMISTIMA Vlada iračkoj vojsci prodaje oružje i opremu vrijednu 700 milijuna kn. Jutarnji, September 12, 2014, archived from the original on September 29, 2015 ; accessed on December 20, 2015 (Croatian). 
58. ↑ ^{a b} Another delivery of material to Iraq. August 17, 2016, accessed October 2, 2016 . 
59. ↑ ^{a b} Further delivery: Material for Peshmerga. September 5, 2016, accessed October 2, 2016 . 
60. ^ Next delivery: Guns and ammunition for Peshmerga. November 17, 2016, accessed November 17, 2016 . 
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62. ^ Fight against IS: More German weapons for Kurds. In: www.handelsblatt.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015 . 
63. ↑ M93 ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
64. ↑ Merkel: Arming Kurds in Germany's interest ( Memento from October 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
65. ↑ ^{a b} More German weapons for Kurds. In: Handelsblatt. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
66. ↑ Iraq: Germany sends anti-tank missiles to Kurds. In: Spiegel Online . August 31, 2014, accessed August 31, 2014 . 
67. ↑ ^{a b} Peshmerga Forces Recruit Christian Fighters, says Local Official. In: Rudaw. Retrieved October 23, 2014 . 
68. ↑ ^{a b} Middle East Military Balance ( Memento from June 24, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
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70. ↑ ^{a b} shex ja3far puk. In: YouTube. Retrieved October 23, 2014 . 
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72. ↑ http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-forces-still-unclear-when-it-will-send-weapons-to-kurds-us-moves-ahead-with-deliveries
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74. ↑ French Giat 53T2 20mm Mle F2 guns delivered to Kurdistan. Retrieved October 23, 2014 . 
75. ↑ Type 63 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun System. Retrieved August 4, 2014 . 
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77. ↑ hurriyet - Kurdish authority buying 16 US-built helicopters from Saudi firm. Hurriyetdailynews.com, July 19, 2006, accessed August 18, 2014 . 
78. ↑ Contract to Buy 16 Helicopters Signed by Kurdistan R. Govt. - Media monitor. Ekurd.net, accessed on August 18, 2014 . 
79. ↑ By IWPR - Iraqi Press Monitor: Contract to Buy 16 Helicopters Signed - Institute for War and Peace Reporting - P224. Iwpr.net, accessed August 18, 2014 .