Dwekh Nawsha
The Dwekh Nawsha (Syriac: ܕܒ݂ܝܚ ܢܦ̮ܫܐ; literally "one who sacrifices") was a Christian military organization created in June 2014 in order to defend Iraq's Assyrian population from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and possibly retake their lands currently controlled by ISIL. The militia defends the Christian cities in the Nineveh province of the historical Assyria region.
| Dwekh Nawsha | |
|---|---|
| ܕܒ݂ܝܚ ܢܦ̮ܫܐ | |
Dwekh Nawsha emblem | |
| Leaders | Emanuel Khoshaba Youkhana |
| Dates of operation | Mid 2014 - 2018 |
| Allegiance | Assyrian Patriotic Party |
| Active regions | Nineveh Governorate: Baqofa, Nineveh Plains |
| Size | 250 |
| Allies | Iraqi Armed Forces Peshmerga Nineveh Plain Protection Units Nineveh Plain Forces Qaraqosh Protection Committee |
| Opponents | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
| Battles and wars | Battle of Mosul (2016-17) |
The Dwekh Nawsha operates in coordination with the regional and international security forces.
Despite being led by the Assyrian Patriotic Party, most militiamen are not members of the party. Several Christian foreign fighters have joined the Dwekh Nawsha; they include Americans, French, British and Australians.
Sons of Liberty International, who had previously trained the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, announced in the fall of 2015 that they would begin training Dwekh Nawsha in their fight against ISIL.
A report by the Assyrian Policy Institute released in June 2020 claimed that Dwekh Nawsha was eventually disbanded and that all of its social media accounts had been deleted.