The Nineveh Plain Protection Units ( ; ) or NPU is an Assyrian paramilitary 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 The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL).John Burger for Aletia. December 4, 201
Christians in Iraq Forming Militia to Defend, and Possibly Retake, Ancestral Lands
/ref> The

Nineveh Plains Nineveh Plains (, Modern ; ; ) is a region in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq. Located to the north and east of the city Mosul, it is the only Christian-majority region in Iraq and have been a gathering point for Iraqi Christians since 2003. Control o ...

is a region where

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

originate from and have lived there for thousands of years.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 and that the US was helping train them, and that financial support was coming mostly from the Assyrian diaspora 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 reported in 2020 that the NPU had 2,000 men registered to be trained awaiting approval and funding from the

Federal government of Iraq The government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution of Iraq, Constitution, approved in 2005, as a Democracy in Iraq, democratic, Parliamentary system, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government i ...

and that they had 600 active soldiers deployed and running the security in towns such as Bakhdida, Karamlesh, partly in

Bartella Bartella (; ) is a town that is located in the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq, about east of Mosul. Bartella was liberated from ISIL control on October 20, 2016 by Iraqi Special Operations Forces along with the Nineveh Plain Protection Units a ...

and the ancient city of

Nimrud Nimrud (; ) is an ancient Assyrian people, Assyrian city (original Assyrian name Kalḫu, biblical name Calah) located in Iraq, south of the city of Mosul, and south of the village of Selamiyah (), in the Nineveh Plains in Upper Mesopotamia. ...

. A 2019 testimony from Assyrian activist Reine Hanna at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 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 Bakhdida, 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 () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

forces in order to capture the town from

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

. 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 The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...

forces liberated the Town of

from ISIL. On the 19th of October, 2016, NPU and the Iraqi Army liberated the Town of Bakhdida 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 ( Bakhdida and Karamlesh), while in

the security is contested by PMF Brigade 30 or known as the Shabak Militia with the support of the

Badr Organization The Badr Organization ( ''Munaẓẓama Badr''), previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps, is an Iraqi Shia Islamist and Khomeinist political party and paramilitary organization headed by Hadi al-Amiri. The Badr Brigade, formed in ...

leaving the NPU outnumbered. , Nimrud was also under the control of the Nineveh Plains Protection Units.

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) 21st century in Nineveh Governorate Military units and formations established in 2014 Military wings of political parties Paramilitary forces of Iraq Assyrians in Iraq

Statistics

Activities

Security

See also

References