The Asayish (Kurdish: Asayîş, lit. 'security'[3]), officially the Ezidkhan Asayish[4] (Kurdish: Asayîşa Êzîdxanê, lit. 'Security Forces of Ezidkhan'), are the police force in the regions controlled by the Sinjar Resistance Units, which is backed by the PKK. The force aims to protect the rights of the Yazidi people as well as maintain law and order in the Sinjar District where they are located.[2] It has a training post in Sinjar, where the policemen are trained by senior PKK militants.[1] The force also gets official financial aid from Iraq.
| Ezidxane Asayish | |
|---|---|
| Asayîşa Êzîdxanê | |
 Flag of the Asayîşa Êzîdxanê | |
| Active | July 2016–present |
| Country | Iraq |
| Allegiance | Sinjar Resistance Units |
| Type | Police |
| Role | Security and policing |
| Size | 6,000 (July 2017 claim)[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Co-commander | Hussein Erzurum[2] |
The Asayîşa Êzîdxanê are officially not subordinated to the Sinjar Resistance Units and shall attenuate the dependence from institutional powers. The lack of faith in the official powers is a consequence of the escape of Peshmerga-troops in August 2014, which enabled the Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL, which overrun the lines of the Peshmerga into the land of the Yazidis. The new-founded force has the aim to create safety in the area controlled by the PKK and Sinjar Resistance Units to enable the return of the Yazidis in the exodus. Recently, about 90% of the Yazidis hasn't returned to Sinjar yet.[1]
There are tensions with the KDP of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, because the KDP wants to rule over the Sinjar mountains again, while many Yazidis feel betrayed and prefer self-defense and -determination now.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d ""Sicherheitskräfte Êzîdxans": YBŞ bildet eigene Sicherheitskräfte aus". ÊzîdîPress. 10 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016. (in German language)
- ^ a b "Asayîşa Êzdîxanê hat avakirin". 6 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Miller, Judith (3 January 1993). "Iraq Accused: A Case of Genocide". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ "Ezidxane Asayish expands". ANF News. Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.