| Nineveh Plain Forces | |
|---|---|
| ܚܝ̈ܠܘܬܐ ܕܕܫܬܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ قوات سهل نينوى | |
 Emblem of the NPF | |
| Leaders | Safaa Khamro/Elias Jajo[1] |
| Dates of operation | January 2015 – 2017 (alleged) |
| Motives | Regional defence Armed resistance |
| Active regions | Nineveh Plains,Assyrian homeland |
| Ideology | Assyrian nationalism Dawronoye |
| Size | 200light infantry |
| Part of | Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union BNDP |
| Allies |  Syriac Military Council Peshmerga Nineveh Plain Protection UnitsBethnahrain Women's Protection Forces |
| Opponents |  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
| Battles and wars | Battle of Mosul (2016–17) |
TheNineveh Plain Forces (Syriac:ܚܝ̈ܠܘܬܐ ܕܕܫܬܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ,romanized: Ḥaylawathe d'Deshta d'Ninwe;Arabic:قوات سهل نينوى; abbreviated asNPF) was anAssyrian militia. Formed in cooperation with the KurdishPeshmerga,[2] the militia's primary mission was to defend theNineveh Plains against theIslamic State.[3] The group was affiliated with theBet-Nahrain Democratic Party and theBeth Nahrain Patriotic Union (HBA), the latter being part of the secularDawronoye movement.[3][4] Along with smaller episodes of combat, the group also participated in theBattle of Mosul (2016–2017).[5][better source needed]
Formed on 6 January 2015, the Nineveh Plain Forces had only a very short time in combat, and was considered defunct by late 2017.
TheNineveh Plain Forces (NPF) was founded on the 6th of January 2015 by theBet Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP), anAssyrian political party that received support from theKurdistan Democratic Party. The announcement of the formation of the group was held in the Assyrian village ofTesqopa, and they had become registered within the Ministry ofPeshmerga, allowing them to receive salary as soldiers as well as weapons.[3][6] At the time of the announcement, the group claimed that it had a stronghold of 500 soldiers, but in other instances, the group claimed it had upwards of 600 soldiers.[7]
The NPF's stated goals were similar to those of theNineveh Plain Protection Units, to provide protection for Assyrians against ISIS and remain as a security force once they had been fought back; the key difference being that the NPF and the BNDP advocated for a Nineveh Plain Governorate administered by theKRG. Despite leaning towards the KRG, though, Romeo Hakkari stated that Assyrians still had a bitter taste left in their mouths by the withdrawal of Peshmerga forces from defending Assyrian areas before ISIS came to the Nineveh Plains.[2]
Although the force would primarily be stationed in Tesqopa,[8][9] other reports suggest that they also had stations inTal Qasab north of Mosul.[7]
In February 2016, the group completed training under the leadership of the Peshmerga and began deployment to areas surroundingMosul and Tesqopa. At the time, commander Safaa Elias Jajo stated that the NPF consisted of 600 total fighters, 285 of which had been deployed to front lines.[10]
On May 30, 2016, the group announced that it had begun operations to liberate the Nineveh Plains from ISIS alongside Kurdish forces.[4] Earlier that year, it had indicated its readiness to participate in such operations, stating that their forces were currently stationed in a number of Assyrian/Christian areas in the Nineveh Plains and that they had previously repelled many ISIS terror attacks during this time.[11]
On 17 October 2016, the NPF announced their intentions to participate in the planned offensive in the Nineveh Plains alongside theIraqi Army,Peshmerga andIraqi Federal Police.[5][12]
On October 29, 2016, a joint meeting was held amongst Assyrian political organizations, hosted by Mar Yokhana Putrus Moshe with the presence of a representative ofGewargis III at the headquarters of theSyriac Catholic Diocese. The meeting was attended by the Bet Nahrain Democratic Party, the Bet Nahrain Patriotic Union, theChaldean National Congress, theSyriac Assembly Movement, the Assyrian Democratic Movement, theAssyrian Patriotic Party, and theChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, and it was jointly agreed to emphasize uniting Assyrian militias for the same goal while also keeping the Nineveh Plains out of future conflicts.[13]
NPF liberated theAssyrian village ofBatnaya on Tuesday 25 October alongsideDwekh Nawsha andPeshmerga forces. The NPF placed the cross on theChaldean CatholicMar Oraha Monastery in Batnaya afterISIS removed allChristian religious symbols from the village.[14][better source needed]
In conjunction with the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party and other groups, the Nineveh Plain Forces were criticized as being a proxy for the Kurdish Regional Government and the Dawronoye movement.[15] A report by theAssyrian Policy Institute noted that the KRG had used Assyrian proxies as part of political maneuvering in the Nineveh Plains, as well as for public relations to pin itself as a protector of Assyrians in post-invasion Iraq.[16]
The report also noted that while the group stated to have as high as 600 soldiers, some observers alleged that no more than 50 soldiers were active at any one time. By the time theNineveh Plains was liberated, the NPF had only managed to secure a small, mostly symbolic presence inBatnaya, as well as other areas that were controlled by the Peshmerga, until the October 2017 withdrawal of KRG forces following theKurdish referendum.[16][17]
The founding of the Nineveh Plain Forces through the KRG was also indicative of the larger battle between theFederal government of Iraq and the Kurdish government in relation to the Assyrians; as opposed to the NPU and its affiliation with theAssyrian Democratic Movement, who opted for support from federal Iraq, the Nineveh Plain Forces, as well as the Nineveh Plain Guard forces of theChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, sided with the KRG.[18]
In the same report by the API, it is stated that the NPF was disbanded in 2017 following the unsuccessfulKurdistan Region independence referendum.[16] Although the leader of the BNDP, Romeo Hakkari, had been an advocate for Kurdish independence, the NPF was effectively stripped of its security responsibilities by the time the independence referendum failed. Though a report byAid to the Church in Need suggested that they were still active in parts north of Batnaya by 2020, it is likely that the group had been disbanded beforehand.[19]
Although the force has rarely shown up in name since 2017, they made a post on theirFacebook page to celebrate their 10th anniversary on January 8, 2025.[20]
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