Zeravani
| Zeravani | |
|---|---|
| File:Zeravani logo.png | |
| Active | 2006–present |
| Country | Iraqi Kurdistan |
| Allegiance | Kurdistan Regional Government |
| Branch | Peshmerga |
| Role | Gendarmerie of Iraqi Kurdistan |
| Size | 120,000 active 250,000 reservists [1][2] |
| Garrison/HQ | Zakho |
| Nickname(s) | Zerevani |
The Zerevani[3] (Central Kurdish: زێرەڤانی Zêrevanî) (or Zeravani,[4] sometimes Zeravani Army[5]) are the militarised police force (described as a gendarmerie by some[4]) operated by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq. They are under the control of the Kurdish Ministry of the Interior but are a part of the Peshmerga (armed forces), and provide security for government and industrial property and support to civilian police & the military.[5][6] They were the subject of an Amnesty campaign in June 2008 after the alleged kidnap of a Kurdish journalist.[6] In November 2009, they began training (conducted by the Italian Carabinieri) alongside the Iraqi Federal Police.[3]
The first Commanding Chief of Zerevani was Faridun Jwanroyi, Fraydoon resigned in 2010 and Aziz Weysi Bani was assigned as the Major General of the Zerevani.
Current equipment of the Peshmerga
Because Zerevani forces were low on equipment when they began training, the Peshmerga army donated some of their weapons to the Zerevani. The Kurdistan Regional Government set them up a base and allowed them to buy their own weapons. They are usually armed with AKMs, RPKs (light Soviet machine guns) and DShKs (heavy Soviet machine guns). Some Zervani companies are however armed with American rifles ( M4A1 and M16 )
- Individual Weapons
- Assault Rifle
- AKM (Assault Rifle - 7.62×39mm)
- Zastava M92 (Assault Rifle - 7.62×39mm)
- AK-74 (Assault Rifle - 5.45×39mm)
- Heckler & Koch G3 (Battle Rifle - 7.62×51mm)
- M16 (Assault Rifle - 5.56×45mm) [7]
- M4A1 (Assault Rifle/Carbine - 5.56×45mm)
- Sniper Rifle
- SVD Dragunov (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×54mmR)
- M-40A1 (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×51mm)
- Barrett M82A1 (Sniper Rifle - 12.7×99mm)
- Tabuk Sniper Rifle (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×39mm)
- M-24 SWS (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×51mm )
- Dragunov SVU (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×54mmR)
- Zastava M91 (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×54mmR)
- PSG1 (Sniper Rifle - 7.62×51mm)
- Anti-Tank Explosive
- RPG-7 (rocket-propelled grenade launcher - 40 mm)
- RPG-29 (rocket-propelled grenade launcher - 105 mm)
- AT4 (rocket-propelled grenade launcher - 84 mm)
- AT-4 Spigot (rocket-propelled grenade launcher - 120 mm)
- Assault Rifle
- Vehicles
- Main Battle Tank
- Military trucks
- Pickup trucks
- Toyota Hilux (4x4 "4Runner")
- Nissan Titan
- Defender-110[11]
- Anti-Aircraft Gun
See also
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Willing to face Death: A History of Kurdish militia Forces - the Peshmerga - from the Ottoman Empire to Present-Day Iraq, Michael G. Lortz
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE14/014/2008/en/1bc9a86b-33e9-11dd-a097-6931d72158b2/mde140142008eng.html
- ↑ U.S. Department of Defense, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq (June 2007) p.30, p.39 p.30
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Middle East Military Balance
- ↑ Iraq’s T-72s: Payment Received
- ↑ Holdanwicz, Grzegorz. "Iraqi armed forces get armoured vehicles". Jane's Defence Weekly
- ↑ Shapir, Yiftah S., Middle East Military Balance, Tel Aviv University, 6, 7
