The Nineveh Plain Protection Units ( syc, ܚܕܝ̈ܘܬ ܣܬܪܐ ܕܫܛܚܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ ; ar, وحدات حماية سهل نينوى) or NPU is an Assyrian military organization that was formed in late 2014, largely but not exclusively by Assyrians in Iraq to defend themselves against

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

.John Burger for Aletia. December 4, 201
Christians in Iraq Forming Militia to Defend, and Possibly Retake, Ancestral Lands
/ref> The Nineveh Plains is a region where

Assyrians in Iraq Iraqi Assyrians ( syr, ܣܘܪ̈ܝܐ, ar, آشوريو العراق) are an ethnic and linguistic minority group, Indigenous peoples, indigenous to Upper Mesopotamia. Assyrians in Iraq are those Assyrian people, Assyrians still residing in the ...

have traditionally been concentrated.Steven Nelson for ''U.S. News & World Report''. Feb. 6, 201
Iraqi Assyrian Christians Form Anti-ISIS Militia, and You Can Legally Chip In
/ref>

Statistics

By December 2014, the group said it had between 500 and 1,000 men in training, that the US was helping train them, and that financial support was coming mostly from Assyrians in the US and Europe. In February 2015 there were unverified reports that the group had 5,000 Assyrian men registered to be trained, 500 are already training for combat, and 500 volunteers from the group stationed in threatened towns.Jack Moore for ''Newsweek''. Feb 4, 201
4000 Strong NPU Assyrian Soldiers
/ref> The '' Assyrian Policy Institute'' reports that the NPU has 2,000 men registered to be trained awaiting approval and funding from the

Federal government of Iraq The federal government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution, approved in 2005, as an Islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic. The federal government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as w ...

and that they currently have 600 active soldiers deployed and running the security in towns such as

Bakhdida Qaraqosh, also known as Al-Hamdaniya or Bakhdida, is an Assyrian city in Iraq within the Nineveh Governorate, located about 32 km (20 mi) southeast of the city of Mosul and 60 km (37 mi) west of Erbil amid agricultural lands, close ...

, Karamlesh, partly in Bartella and the ancient city of

Nimrud Nimrud (; syr, ܢܢܡܪܕ ar, النمرود) is an ancient Assyrian city located in Iraq, south of the city of Mosul, and south of the village of Selamiyah ( ar, السلامية), in the Nineveh Plains in Upper Mesopotamia. It was a m ...

A 2019 testimony from Assyrian activist Reine Hanna at the

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the lead ...

claimed that the rate of Assyrian return in towns guarded by the NPU was significantly higher than those controlled by other forces following the end of the Islamic State's occupation of the Nineveh Plain. The NPU-guarded Assyrian town of

, for example, saw a 70% return of the town's original Assyrian population (about 35,000 Assyrians). In Tesqopa, which is controlled by KRG Peshmerga, the rate of return is about 20% of the original Assyrian population. In Tel Keppe, which is controlled by Brigade 50, the return rate of the original Assyrian population is about 7%.

Activities

In May 2016, NPU participated in fighting at Tesqopa along with

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

forces. In September 2016, NPU soldiers repelled an ISIL effort to retake Tesqopa. Also in September 2016, NPU liberated the Shabak village of Badanah from ISIL, with the support of international coalition airstrikes. In October 2016, NPU, alongside Iraqi Army forces liberated the Town of Bartella from ISIL. On the 19th of October, 2016, NPU and the Iraqi Army liberated the Town of

from ISIL. They currently run the security profile of the town and protected the town during its first Christmas mass in two years. In December 2016 Jameel al-Jameel, a member of the Nineveh Plains Protection Units claimed that Kurdish soldiers at checkpoints were interrogating and preventing Assyrian NPU soldiers and civilians seeking to enter the Nineveh Plain. In July 2017, NPU was involved in clashes with the Babylon Brigades, led by Rayan al-Kildani. Two days prior to the incident, NPU captured 6 members of the Babylon Brigades on allegations of stealing ancient artefacts from Mar Behnam Monastery. Babylon Brigades have since been expelled by the Iraqi Prime Minister Office & PMU High Command from all of Hamdaniya District. NPU has taken control of Mar Behnam Monastery. In December 2018, the Iraqi Government provided funding to the NPU to recruit another 100 troops.

Security

The Nineveh Plains Protection Units currently run the security in all major towns in the Al-Hamdaniya District (

and Karamlesh), while in Bartella the security is contested by PMF Brigade 30 or known as the Shabak Militia with the support of the Badr Organization leaving the NPU outnumbered. The ancient city of

is also under the control of the Nineveh Plains Protection UnitsContested Control: The Future of Security in Iraq's Nineveh Plain
/ref>

References

{{Armed Iraqi groups in the Iraq War and the Iraq Civil War 2014 establishments in Iraq Anti-ISIL factions in Iraq Assyrian organizations War in Iraq (2013–2017) Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) Military units and formations established in 2014 Military wings of political parties Paramilitary forces of Iraq

Statistics

Activities

Security

See also

References