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Insignia of the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU) of Iraq

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The Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU) is an Assyrian force in Iraq that was trained by Sons of Liberty International and seeks a good relationship with the United States.

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Insignia of the Gozarto Protection Forces (GPF) of Syria

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The Gozarto Protection Forces (GPF) is an Assyrian militia in Syria that is allied with the Assad regime, Russia, Iran, and the terrorist group Hezbollah.

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American Mesopotamian Organization (AMO) and Restore Nineveh Now (RNN) have been using the insignia design of the NPU for the insignia of the GPF, without the consent or approval of the NPU.

AMO and RNN have done this to falsely associate the two Assyrian forces and exaggerate AMO and RNN’s involvement with them by making it appear that they were responsible for the creation of these militias, thereby boosting AMO and RNN’s fundraising efforts.

However, in reality there is no relationship between the NPU and the GPF.

The actions of AMO and RNN appear to be causing considerable damage to the NPU’s reputation and ability to obtain support from the US government.

Sons of Liberty International demands that AMO and RNN change to the insignia of the GPF and end the false association they attempted to create between the GPF and NPU.

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  • On February 18, 2015 Sons of Liberty International completed its second training program with the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), having worked with the NPU since December, 2014 as their trainers and advisors to NPU leadership.
  • In February, 2015 AMO and RNN persuaded the NPU to grant copyright permission for AMO and RNN to use the NPU insignia on their website and publications. According to NPU leadership, they were persuaded to do so when AMO and RNN insisted that signing over copyright permission would help them to raise funds for the NPU.
  • On February 21, AMO head David William Lazar sent a Facebook message to SOLI founder Matthew VanDyke, insulting him and referencing VanDyke’s previous work in US-backed revolutions abroad as a reason why they would attempt to sever his relationship with NPU (they were not successful in doing so, SOLI continued to work with NPU leadership, provided a third training program to the NPU in May, 2015 and provided funding for the NPU in July and September, 2015).
  • On February 23, AMO and RNN filed trademarks for the NPU insignia (US serial numbers 86543540, 86543563, and 86543550). This attempt to trademark the insignia of a foreign military force may have broken the law by violating the Lanham Act. The US Patent and Trademark Office intervened in September, 2015, halting AMO and RNN’s attempt to trademark the insignia.
  • On March 9, 2015 AMO and RNN, without the consent of NPU, began using the NPU insignia as the design for the pro-Assad GPF (which at the time were named the Gozarto Protection Units or GPU).
  • In October, 2015 SOLI was informed that the NPU was extremely concerned after discovering that officials at the US State Department believed that the NPU was associated with the Assad regime in Syria because the NPU and GPF insignia were the same.
  • In early November, 2015 SOLI was informed by a source who has regular contact with the US State Department that there is confusion and concern at the US State Department about whether the NPU or other Iraqi Assyrian militias were allied with the Assad regime in Syria as a result of the GPF using the NPU insignia.

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Having confirmed in November, 2015 that AMO and RNN’s actions appeared to be causing considerable damage to the aspirations and ability of the NPU and other Iraqi Assyrian forces to obtain US support, SOLI determined that action must be taken. We would like to clarify the following:

1  –  The NPU and GPF are completely separate forces

2  –  The NPU has no relationship with the Assad regime

3  –  The NPU seeks a positive relationship with the United States

4  –  The NPU never consented to their insignia design being used for the GPF insignia

5  –  AMO and RNN do not represent or speak for the NPU, as the NPU has made clear in official NPU statements.

6  –  The actions of AMO and RNN over the past year, which extend far beyond the NPU insignia issue, have had a devastating effect on NPU training, development, morale, support, and preparedness

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1  – Stop using the NPU logo design for the GPF logo

2  – Issue a statement acknowledging that the use of the NPU logo and insignia for the GPF was a decision  made by AMO and RNN without the consent of the NPU

3  – Apologize to NPU leadership and the Assyrian community for damaging the reputation of the NPU and having a negative impact on NPU and Assyrian efforts to obtain American support

Click here to learn more about American Mesopotamian Organization and Restore Nineveh Now’s deplorable support of the Gozarto Protection Forces (GPF), and how their support of an armed group allied with the Assad regime, Russia, Iran, and the terrorists of Hezbollah has the potential to put US Special Forces serving in Syria at greater risk

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