On President Barzani’s Orders: 12 Years Since Peshmerga Forces Set Out for Kobani

ARK News.. Twelve years ago, on October 28, 2014, on the orders of President Masoud Barzani, Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces set out toward the city of Kobani in Syrian Kurdistan to defeat the terrorist organization ISIS.

Following approval by a majority of members of the Kurdistan Region Parliament, President Masoud Barzani authorized the deployment of Peshmerga forces to support Kobani, which was suffering under ISIS’s attacks at the time.

The Peshmerga contingent travelled from the Kurdistan Region through Turkey, carrying the Kurdistan flag, and arrived in Kobani on October 31, 2014. The forces joined efforts to support those already fighting in the city against ISIS, described in the report as one of the world’s largest and most dangerous terrorist organizations.

Residents of Kobani and Kurds from North Kurdistan welcomed the Peshmerga with flowers and expressed their joy at the forces’ arrival in Kobani through Turkey.

The arrival of the Peshmerga is regarded as a historic day for the Kurdish people and Kurdistan. The participating forces helped defeat ISIS in the city and surrounding villages after the group had occupied them and caused widespread destruction.

On September 13, 2014, ISIS attacked Kobani and its surrounding villages, displacing hundreds of thousands of Kurds. Following months of fierce fighting, Kobani and its villages were liberated on January 26, 2015, by the Peshmerga, international coalition aircraft, and forces already present in the area.

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