Peshmerga Forces Day
On 17 December 1945, the PDKI military forces overtook the last Iranian military barracks in Mahabad and raised the Kurdish national flag. The Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan were established on the same day.
The word ‘Peshmerga’, meaning ‘those who face death’ in Kurdish, has for centuries been the preferred name for brave warriors in Kurdistan. In 1946, when the Kurdish government was deliberating on a name for the military forces of the Republic of Kurdistan, the word ‘Peshmerga’ was chosen. Since then, 17 December has been a day on which the people of Eastern Kurdistan, as well as the growing Kurdish diaspora in Europe and America, honour the sacrifices of the Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan.
The Peshmerga symbolise the resilience of a nation deprived of the right to statehood in its homeland and forcibly incorporated into four states: Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
The Kurdish nation has been subjected to forced assimilation, massacres, and cultural and physical genocide by these states. Nevertheless, the Kurdish people have survived and protected their dignity. This would not have been possible without the Peshmerga.
The Peshmerga are the protectors of the human dignity of the Kurdish nation. It is also a progressive military force fighting for liberty, gender equality, and democracy. They are the most important force in the fight against state and non-state terrorism.
Since the 1940s, the Peshmerga Forces have been fighting dictatorship in Iran and struggling for the national rights, liberty and democracy of the Kurdish people. They have bravely fought the forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979.
On this proud national day, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all the heroic Peshmergas and the Peshmerga-loving people of Kurdistan. At the same time, we renew our pledge to our martyrs and their honourable families that we will remain steadfast in our struggle until their aspirations are realised.
