MEDYA HAWAR

Shengal (Sinjar)- ISIS attacked Shengal on August 3, 2014, killing thousands of Yazidis and abducting thousands of Yazidi women. The whole world just watched inhuman crimes committed against Yazidis and Yazidi women. The Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) left Shengal instead of protecting the Yazidi community from ISIS.

They rebuilt their lives

When the Yazidi community was left alone, the fighters of the HPG, YJA-STAR, YPJ and YPG rescued the Yazidi community from genocide by opening a humanitarian corridor between Rojava and Shengal. The dirty plans on Shengal failed. After Shengal was liberated from ISIS, the Yazidi community formed their own defense units, the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and the Shengal Women’s Units (YJŞ). The Yazidis began to rebuild their lives based on the ideology and the philosophy of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Attacks do not end

However, the attacks on Shengal do not end. Dozens, including Yazidi leaders Mam Zekî, Seîd Hesen, Zerdeşt Şengalî, Merwan Bedel, Dîndar Avesta, Pîran Pîr and Çiya Feqîr, were killed in airstrikes on Shengal. The aim of the attacks is to achieve the goal that ISIS failed to achieve on August 3 by carried out airstrikes on Shengal with the support of the KDP and foreign actors. These attacks want to make the Yazidi community take a step back.

They want to destroy the Yazidi identity

Iraq cannot protect the territorial integrity of Iraq. If Iraq had not pursued its own policies and interests, the Yazidis would not have been attacked. The aim of the attacks is to destroy the Yazidi identity, belief, culture and history.

Number of female fighters increases in Shengal

Those who pay the highest price were Yazidi women; they were abducted, raped, sold in slave markets. Therefore, the ideology and the philosophy of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan inspired Yazidi women. They began to organize themselves for freedom in order to take revenge on the enemy and prevent another genocide to be committed against them. They established the Yazidi Free Women's Movement (Kurdish: Tevgera Azadiya Jinên Êzîdî-TAJÊ) and formed their own defense units, the YJŞ. Today, the number of female fighters increases in Shengal. Participating in all facets of life such as military and politics, they govern and protect themselves and make their voices heard all around the world.

They become role model

 

The Yazidi community has become a role model for the whole world with their self-governing local administration thanks to the ideology and the philosophy of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. The Yazidi community never forgets the attacks against them. The agreement signed by the Turkish state, KDP, and the Iraqi government on October 9, 2020, is one of the attacks against the community. Seeing this agreement as a continuation of the attacks on them, the Yazidi community is determined not to allow the plans and the decisions that do not include their will and opinion to be implemented.

The Yazidi community has always stood by peace and stability in Iraq. They have made many peaceful attempts to make their status based on self-governance to be recognized by Iraq. Resisting all kinds of attacks by taking no step back, the Yazidi community has paid heavy prices throughout history and continues to pay heavy prices. Despite everything, the Yazidi community preserves their belief and culture.

The Yazidi community has rebuilt their lives based on the ideology and the philosophy of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. The self-governing local administration, TAJÊ, PADÊ (Yazidi Freedom and Democracy Party) YBŞ/YJŞ know very well that the offensive policies aimed at annihilating the Yazidis will continue with different methods. The agreement signed by the Turkish state, KDP, and the Iraqi government on October 9, 2020, shows that.

Global silence

On March 24, 2017, the Turkish state launched airstrikes on the Shengal mountains for the first time and killed a child named Gênco. At the same time, the Turkish state fired artillery on the Kers Valley, Amûd and Derê regions. Although there are ongoing attacks on the Yazidi community in Shengal, there is a local and global silence against the attacks. The attacks target hospitals, schools, houses and the fighters, who fought and defeated ISIS.

On September 17, 2023, Turkish drones targeted a vehicle belonging to the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) near the Serdest camp in Shengal and killed three Yazidi commanders. The Yazidi community has vowed to avenge the killing of three commanders. The Yazidi community is determined to resist all kinds of attacks against them.