Dutch Peshmerga killed in car accident while on leave

ERBIL, Kurdistn Region –  A foreign fighter with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces has died in a road accident while  visiting his family in Holland, a Peshmerga commander told Rudaw on Sunday.

The soldier, known as Ron Hollandi, reportedly died in a car accident in Amsterdam. said Sardar Doski, his commander on the Zumar front.

“To spend some time with his family, Ron Hollandi returned to the Netherlands, and he was expected to return to Kurdistan next week,” Doski added.

Hollandi joined the Peshmerga last October, participating in several battles against the Islamic State (ISIS) on the Zumar front in Mosul.

“Even though he was a foreign fighter he played a major role in the battles against ISIS and we are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us,” Doski said.

He added that, out of respect for Hollandi’s loyalty to the Peshmerga and Kurdistan, he would be honored in a special procession.

Many foreign fighters have joined the Peshmerga in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region as well as the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) in Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava.