Êzîdxan Protection Force
Yazidi military force in Iraq
The Êzîdxan Protection Force (HPÊ) (Kurdish: Hêza Parastina Êzîdxanê ,هێزی پاراستنی ئێزیدخان, Arabic: قوة حماية ايزيدخان), is a Yazidi military force founded by Haydar Shesho in the summer of 2014 in response to the Sinjar massacre. It was bigger than the other main Yazidi militia who took part in the liberation of Sinjar from the Islamic State, the Sinjar Resistance Units, which is aligned with the PKK-backed Kurdistan Communities Union.
The militia was known as the Protection Force of Sinjar or HPŞ (Kurdish: Hêza Parastina Şingal), also translated as Sinjar Defense Units or Sinjar Protection Force, until November 2015, when it changed its name to Hêza Parastina Êzîdxanê or HPÊ.
Haydar Shesho was arrested on 5 April 2015 by the Kurdistan Democratic Party's Kurdistan Regional Government forces for "creating an illegitimate new militia." He was released a week later after it was negotiated that he would register with the KRG's Ministry of Peshmerga. He has been quoted as saying "We fight only for Yazidis, not for any party." In October 2015, the HPŞ participated in the foundation of the Sinjar Alliance as an all-Yazidi joint commando umbrella structure with the Sinjar Resistance Units, the Êzîdxan Women's Units, and other, independent Yazidi units recruited to the united Yazidi front.
Under the joint command of the newly founded Sinjar Alliance, the Êzîdxan Protection Force took part in the successful November 2015 Sinjar offensive.
The HPÊ joined the Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Regional Government in 2017. This, despite the warnings of Haydar Shesho in the immediate aftermath of the liberation of Sinjar over a "war of flags". Massoud Barzani, leader of the KDP and the most powerful figure in Iraqi Kurdistan, claimed on television that only KRG Peshmerga were involved in the Sinjar offensives. ezidiPress quoted from the office of Haydar Shesho: "the next battle... might be the most difficult: the abolition of the one-party dictatorship."
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. The killings were condemned by the Iraqi government and human rights groups.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Êzîdxan Protection Force” as yazidi military force in Iraq. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as yazidi military force in Iraq. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18412532. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2014, 2015 and 2017.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Êzîdxan Protection Force”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Êzîdxan Protection Force primary sources, Êzîdxan Protection Force archive and Êzîdxan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Êzîdxan Protection Force”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Êzîdxan Protection Force” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.