Without proper weapons and little support, the Kurds soldier on against ISIS

Besides occupying large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State (ISIS) could have possibly occupied even larger and more resourceful territories, if the Kurds in both countries were to give up defending their ancestral homeland.

In Kirkuk, for instance, the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region advanced to take over positions left by the Iraqi Army.

The Peshmerga have not only remained a bulwark to ISIS expansion in their territories, they also have harbored and protected millions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), lifting that burden from the shoulders of neighboring countries and the world.

Unfortunately, receiving Arab IDPs with open arms and fighting the most barbaric terrorist group the world has ever witnessed seemingly goes without appreciation.

Except the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), no actor has been able to fight ISIS directly on its borders and yet deal responsibly with the troubling influx of millions of people.

In Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and their female brigades have been assisted by US-led airstrikes in their fight against ISIS. But the recognition the Kurds receive for standing up to the terrorist organization remains low-key, in comparison to the victories chalked up against ISIS in Kobane and Gire Sipi.

The KRG has been carrying the burdens of war and refugees under the tightest financial constraints: Baghdad refuses to make payments from the national budget for the Peshmerga and for civil servants working in Kurdistan, while at the same time constraining Erbil’s ability to export its own oil and gas.

As a result, the Kurds have been paying for these shortcomings with blood: according to official figures, well over 1,000 Peshmerga soldiers have so far lost their lives in the war, and some 6,000 have been wounded.

Reportedly, some 70 percent of these casualties could have been prevented if the United States and the coalition it leads had agreed to supply the Kurds with the necessary weapons, including anti-tank systems, armored vehicles and even simple needs like body armor.

The Kurds are not asking for F-16 fighters – like the ones given by the US to Baghdad. They want at least the same weapons that are in the hands of ISIS, and which the militants have captured from fleeing Iraqi troops time and again for a year, most recently earlier this month following the fall of Ramadi.

Empowering trustworthy partners like the KRG and the Kurds in Rojava helps shelter the fleeing people close to home and helps defeat the Islamists.

Unlike the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces militias, over which Baghdad has only nominal control, the Peshmerga fall under a civilian authority and are held accountable for their actions.

Too much focus on official state actors like Iraq and Syria gives the impression that the world is keen on giving weapons to those who can’t hold it. Those who can hold on to weapons and can continue to fight are doing so with outdated Soviet-made weapons.

There might be one reason why the Kurds should not be given adequate military support, but there are hundreds of reasons why they should: they are an effective force, they share the same Western values that the civilized world aspires to and the powerful Kurds exist in both Syria and Iraq, where gets its strength.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.