Germany will not send new weapons to barzani forces KDP that attacked Êzidîs

Germany will not send new weapons to  barzani forces KDP that attacked Êzidîs
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel who visited Iraq and South Kurdistan region this week stated that Germany would not be sending new arms shipments to the region.

According to Deutsche Welle, during a Thursday meeting in Hewler, KRG President Massoud Barzani thanked German Foreign Minister for Germany's support, remarking that the equipment had not been enough for the operation to retake Mosul from ISIS though.

However, while in Baghdad one day ago, Gabriel made clear that Germany would not be sending new arms shipments to ISIS-conflict areas in Iraq or expanding training. Instead, he emphasized that the fight against ISIS will not be won solely by military means.

As around 140 German soldiers are still training peshmergas in Hewler, peshmerga forces have received a large amount of German weapons since 2014, including 20,000 assault rifles, 400 rocket-propelled grenades, and 1,200 anti-tank missiles.

Responding to questions about Barzani's independence referendum slated to take place this year, the German minister said that negotiations over the region's status were an "internal Iraqi matter."

KDP was exposed to be using weapons given to them to fight ISIS against Êzidî forces during the attack peshmerga launched on Shengal together with AKP-trained forces in March, which received strong criticism from both the Kurds and international community.

KDP-affiliated groups moving from Duhok's Sihela region attacked Shengal's Khanasor town on March 2-3, in response to which people of Kurdistan and the world public manifested strong reaction and voiced criticism.

The use of weapons filmed during the clashes received criticism because these weapons had been given by the Coalition forces to the KDP for the fight against ISIS. However, KDP affiliate gang groups used these weapons against the Êzidî people of Shengal.

Coalition forces had given weapons such as A4 Dingo Panzer, MG3 and H&K36 to KDP forces for the fight against ISIS, but gang groups turned these weapons against the people of Shengal who had been massacred by ISIS in August, 2014.

On March 10, a German delegation went to Shengal to investigate this issue. As part of its visit, the delegation visited HPG forces there. According to HPG officials, the delegation came to the region in order to learn against whom these weapons were used.

The German delegation members said they did not know that the weapons were used against Êzidî people, expressed concern over the issue, and would come to the region again in order to carry out a more extensive investigation