| Êzîdxan Protection Force | |
|---|---|
| Hêza Parastina Êzîdxanê(HPÊ) | |
 Flag of the Êzîdxan Protection Force | |
| Leaders | Haydar Shesho |
| Dates of operation | October 2014–present |
| Status | Active |
| Size | 2,200[1]–3,000[2](2015) 1,000[3](2017) |
| Part of | Sinjar Alliance(October 2015–March 2017)[3] Peshmerga(since 2017)[3][better source needed] |
| Allies |  Sinjar Resistance Units(Until March 2017) Êzidxan Women's Units(Until March 2017) |
| Opponents |  Islamic State |
| Wars | Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) |
TheÊzîdxan Protection Force (HPÊ)[nb 1] (Kurdish:Hêza Parastina Êzîdxanê ,هێزی پاراستنی ئێزیدخان,[4][5]Arabic:قوة حماية ايزيدخان[6]), is aYazidi military force founded byHaydar Shesho in the summer of 2014 in response to theSinjar massacre.[7] It was bigger than the other main Yazidi militia who took part in the liberation ofSinjar from theIslamic State, theSinjar Resistance Units, which is aligned with thePKK-backedKurdistan Communities Union.[8]
The militia was known as theProtection Force of Sinjar orHPŞ (Kurdish:Hêza Parastina Şingal), also translated asSinjar Defense Units[8] orSinjar Protection Force, until November 2015, when it changed its name toHêza Parastina Êzîdxanê orHPÊ.[9]
Haydar Shesho was arrested on 5 April 2015 by theKurdistan Democratic Party'sKurdistan Regional Government forces for "creating an illegitimate new militia."[10] He was released a week later after it was negotiated that he would register with theKRG's Ministry of Peshmerga.[11] He has been quoted as saying "We fight only for Yazidis, not for any party."[11] In October 2015, the HPŞ participated in the foundation of theSinjar Alliance as an all-Yazidi joint commando umbrella structure with the Sinjar Resistance Units, theÊzîdxan Women's Units,[12] and other, independent Yazidi units recruited to the united Yazidi front.[13]
Under the joint command of the newly foundedSinjar Alliance, the Êzîdxan Protection Force took part in the successfulNovember 2015 Sinjar offensive.[14]
The HPÊ joined thePeshmerga of theKurdistan Regional Government in 2017.[3][better source needed] This, despite the warnings ofHaydar Shesho in the immediate aftermath of the liberation ofSinjar over a "war of flags".Massoud Barzani, leader of theKDP and the most powerful figure inIraqi Kurdistan, claimed on television that only KRGPeshmerga were involved in theSinjar offensives.ezidiPress quoted from the office ofHaydar Shesho: "the next battle... might be the most difficult: the abolition of the one-party dictatorship."[15]
In June 2017, the Êzîdxan Protection Force committed the Qabusiye massacre in northern Iraq, executing 52 members of the Al-Bu Metewut tribe over suspected ties to ISIS.[16] The killings were condemned by the Iraqi government and human rights groups.[17]
