ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Dozens of young Kurds from Lebanon are volunteering to join the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their fight against the armies of the Islamic State (IS/formerly ISIS), said Muhammed Emerat, head of the largest Kurdish party in Lebanon.
“Despite differences in their political views, tens of young Kurds have decided to move to Kurdistan to defend against ISIS,” Emerat, who heads the National Loyalty Party, told the Turkish Anadolu news agency.
His statement, saying that the individuals had decided voluntarily and were alone responsible for their decision, caused major media attraction in Lebanon.
Emerat added that the number of volunteers is not very high and therefore would not have an impact on Lebanon’s Kurdish community, which is estimated at 125,000, with about 25,000 older than 21.
“No group or party in Lebanon has voiced discontent with the Kurdish volunteers leaving for Kurdistan to defend the nation,” Anadolu quoted him as saying. “That is because they all see how this armed group is treating the Kurdish nation.
“As the Lebanese Kurdish community we support the Kurdistan region in defending itself against the attacks of this militant group,” Emerat added.
He said there is precedence for Lebanese nationals going to fight outside the country, noting that the Lebanese Hezbollah “has sent fighters to defend President Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, while some others have joined Syrian opposition groups in their fight against the Syrian regime.”
Emerat believes that if the situation in Kurdistan deteriorates, more Lebanese Kurds may join the fight.
“This is a personal decision and people cannot be deprived from making their own decisions,” he was quoted as saying.
With the Iraqi army in tatters and a government in Baghdad still being negotiated, the Kurds and their Peshmerga forces have become the focus of world attention in their fight to stop the Islamic militants.
The United States has been helping the Peshmerga with airstrikes against the radicals, and several European nations have sent arms and aid for the Kurdish war effort.
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