Kurdistan
Eldad Apraim Yaldakhaei, the Assyrian Christian graduate from Zakho Military Academy. Photo: Submitted
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - In a rare occurrence that earned the high praise of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, a Christian on Thursday graduated from Zakho Military College in Duhok. The Assyrian’s graduation may have inspired scores of other young Christians in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, many of whom previously viewed the military as an unsuitable option, paving the way for them to enlist in the Peshmerga forces.
Eldad Apraim Yaldakhaei, 25, was always passionate about the military, and hoped to join the Peshmerga forces ever since he was a little boy. While Yaldakhaei was initially concerned that his religion might serve as a tool for discrimination, he decided to chase his dreams anyway and told Rudaw English over the phone on Saturday that "it was all worth it" in the end.
"I thought that they wouldn't prioritize me because I was a Christian and maybe I would be disadvantaged in the college, but I applied and they accepted around 500 students among more than 7,000 applicants for the college," Yaldakhaei said proudly, mentioning that a degree in military sciences is "very special" and will greatly assist him in the future.
"I always had a passion for the military and before I applied, I had a set of military uniform and boots at home that I would always wear and imagine myself as an officer," he continued.
While delivering a speech to the graduating class of Zakho Military College on Thursday, President Barzani specifically praised Yaldakhaei for being the only Christian graduate among 499 other Peshmerga officers, and encouraged other minorities, such as Yazidis and Turkmen, to enlist in the force. The president's remarks have served as a source of pride to the young Assyrian Christian and his family.
"I brought pride to my home, my family, my village, and all Christians,” he said with delight, when asked about the president’s comments. "It was a very big deal when someone like President Barzani distinctively calls out your name and congratulates you among 499 others."
Yaldakhaei's fears of discrimination were put to rest upon his arrival at the college. Differentiation on the basis of religion or ethnicity was entirely nonexistent in his academy, he explained, and during the nearly two and a half years he spent at the college, he was never discriminated against by his superiors or fellow students.
"I had many friends, and not once did they ask me questions about religion. There, it's all about humanity. Everybody would pray their respective prayers and we had no differences whatsoever," he said, adding that “we are all like brothers.”
The unorthodox decision by Yaldakhaei to enlist in the Peshmerga and his subsequent success has set the scene for further Christian participation in the force. After the popularity he attained from being recognized by President Barzani, scores of young Christians who had previously refrained from joining the military due to safety concerns because of their religious background have been calling Yaldakhaei for advice on how to apply to the college, he said.
Situation of Yaldakhaei's village
The decades-long conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has brought devastation to the Assyrian village of Chalik, which Yaldakhaei is originally from. He expressed concern about his village's state due to frequent Turkish bombardments and wished that his people could safely return to their homeland again.
Chalik is the westernmost Assyrian village in the region of Barwari Bala in Duhok province and is located on the Iraq-Turkey border. It has remained largely abandoned for over a year due to fears of airstrikes, village native and local Assyrian journalist Younan Danno told Rudaw English over the phone on Sunday.
"A few days ago, a Turkish artillery shell fell on the Khabour river near the Mar Moshi monastery between our village [Chalik] and the border crossing," Danno said, explaining that Chalik village is divided into two parts - upper and lower - with the upper part, consisting of a school and 15 houses, completely destroyed and abandoned due to constant Turkish bombardment.
Dozens of Assyrian villages in the northern mountains of the Kurdistan Region, including Chalik, have been left deserted as villagers flee in fear of falling victim to Turkish bombardment and rockets. The Turkey-PKK conflict has taken a toll on the villages, and a parliamentary report published in 2020 said the conflict has left over 500 villages empty across the Kurdistan Region.
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