EBÎR MUHEMED

Qamishlo- Since November 27, 2024, Turkish-backed factions such as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have been carrying attacks on northeastern Syria, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes in Shahba and Til Rifaat. Thousands of displaced people, including Yazidis, have already arrived in safe areas designated by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

“When Yazidi people arrive in safe areas, they are initially transferred to the Mala Berzan region. Then, they are placed in the towns of Amuda and Tirbespiyê (Al-Qahtaniyah),” the Yazidi House in Amuda told NuJINHA. “100 Yazidi families have already settled in Mala Berzan. However, many Yazidi families have been trapped in Shahba/Afrin canton. We do not know exactly how many Yazidis have already arrived in safe areas but we estimate that the number of families settled in safe areas is about 400.”

‘We settle the people in safe areas’

Mejdolîn Elî, a displaced Yazidi woman from Afrin and member of the House of Yazidis in the Jazira Canton, told us that they took immediate action to rescue the Yazidi people trapped in the Afrin/Shahba Canton. “We work coordinately with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Yazidi Women’s Union and the Syrian Yazidi Union in the Jazira Canton to settle the Yazidi people in safe areas of North and East Syria and rescue the Yazidis trapped in the Afrin/Shahba Canton.”

 ‘Four Yazidis have been killed by the armed factions’

At least four Yazidis have been killed by the armed factions, Mejdolîn Elî told NuJINHA. “In addition, many Yazidis have been kidnapped by the armed factions in Shahba and Til Rifaat. What ISIS did in Shengal in 2014 has been done in the Afrin/Shahba Canton now. History repeats itself once again. The Yazidi people face genocidal attacks again. A citizen, who arrived in safe areas, told us that the Internal Security Forces protected them while the armed factions attacked them, killing one of them. The citizen also told us that an old man had killed himself not to be kidnapped by the armed factions.

Call for the end of the attacks

Mejdolîn Elî called on the guarantor states not to remain silent against the attacks. “Civilians, especially Yazidi people are targeted by the attacks. We call on all states to end the attacks. All people must rise up against the attacks.”