The militia was known as the Protection Force of Sinjar or HPŞ (Kurdish: Hêza Parastina Şingal), also translated as Sinjar Defense Units[8] or Sinjar Protection Force, until November 2015, when it changed its name to Hêza Parastina Êzîdxanê or HPÊ.[9]
Haydar Shesho was arrested on 5 April 2015 by the Kurdistan Democratic Party's Kurdistan Regional Government forces for "creating an illegitimate new militia."[10] He was released a week later after it was negotiated that he would register with the KRG's Ministry of Peshmerga.[11] He has been quoted as saying “We fight only for Yazidis, not for any party."[11]
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,[12] and other, independent Yazidi units recruited to the united Yazidi front.[13]
^Also transliterated as Ezidkhan Defense Units, Ezidkhan Protection Force, Protection Force of Ezidkhan, Êzîdxan Protection Force or Êzîdxan Defense Units