NEWS CENTER -  Stating that the attacks against Shengal were a continuation of Ottoman plans, SMJÊ member Xanê Agal said, "Only women can end this persecution of the Yazidis."

 

Yazidis, who lived through massacre of ISIS' attacks on Shengal on August 3, 2014, were massacred, forced to migration, and sold in slave markets. HPG and YPG-YPJ members came to the rescue of Yazidis, while the Peshmerga fled and leave them defenseless in the face of the ISIS attacks.

 

The Yazidis, who started to build a new life after the ISIS attacks were repelled, first formed their self-defense forces. The Yazidis, who formed defense units under the name of Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and Women's Defense Units (YJŞ), organised around the Êzidxan Asayish, established the Shengal Democratic Autonomous Council and declared self-government. Shengal, which was rebuilt with great effort, was constantly targeted by Turkey's air strikes. Threats of attack continued on Shengal, which was targeted by the agreement signed between Hewlêr-Baghdad with support of the USA and Turkey on October 9, 2020. Within the scope of this agreement, which was signed against the will of the Yazidis, a 250-kilometer-long wall was built on the border between Shengal and Northern and Eastern Syria.

 

RESISTANCE STOPPED THE IRAQİ ARMY

 

The attack was launched by the Iraqi army simultaneously with the AKP and KDP's attacks on the Federated Kurdistan Region. The attacks that started  on April 18 continued with clashes in many parts of the region. The attacks of the KDP and Turkey was stopped by the resistance of the women and Iraqi Army had to withdraw on May 4.

 

Evaluating the attacks against Yazidis, Hewlêr, Baghdad and Ankara's plans and their aims, Xanê Agal, a member of the Yazidi Women's Councils Roof Organisation (SMJÊ) said that Turkey is losing sleeps over the Shengal resistance.

 

CONTINUATION OF THE ISIS MASSACRE

 

Expressing that the Iraqi army's attacks are expected, Agal said: "This last attack was part of the ISIS massacre. In 2014, the aim was to displace Yazidis from Shengal. They wanted to exterminate the Yazidis by removing them from their own culture and living spaces. That was the intended plan at the time. But this plan failed. They fought Shengal during the Ottoman period. Since then, Shengal has been a place of great historical importance. But despite all the attacks and targeted plans, they could not exterminate the Yazidis. According to the Yazidi belief, every place of Shengal is sacred. That is why Shengal is the capital of the Yazidis. That's why the intent in these attacks is so bad.”

 

OTTOMAN PLANS

 

Stating that Turkey used Iraqi Army for its plans on Shengal, Agal said, “The Iraqi Government is not a government that has its own willpower. It is a broken government. It is impossible for the Iraqi Government to realize its plans because it cannot free itself from external factors. Since it cannot do this, it cannot move forward independently. For this reason, the presence of the Iraqi government is very important for Erdogan. The border with Rojava contains the Yazidi identity and culture. The Turkish state has always acted on the basis of the National Pact. Turkey wants to realize its Ottomans plans. It now wants to complete what it could not achieve during the Ottoman period. On this basis, it wants Kirkuk and Mosul now. These two places are the places where there is oil and they are quite rich. There are mostly Turkmens here. Now they are working with Turkmens. The Iraqi government does not pursue an independent policy either. They want to take advantage of it. This is clearly visible. Iraq's politics are under the influence of Erdogan. Erdogan is making the Iraqi government do what he cannot do. When he doesn't get the Iraqi government to do it, it makes the Federated Kurdistan Regional Government do it."

 

YAZIDIS ARE MARGINALISED

 

Stating that the Iraqi Government is marginalised the  Yazidis throughout history, Agal said, "The Iraqi government does not see Yazidis as its own citizens. It wants the Yazidis to kneel and surrender. Their policy of one color, one voice, one identity, one flag and one language is fascism. According to them, few communities are doomed to extinction. According to the Iraqi government, these communities are not important. According to their ideas and perspectives, these groups should be destroyed. It plays a major role in this policy in the region. They do not tolerate anyone but themselves. Attacks on Shengal are also not in the government's interest. Yazidis are their citizens and owners of these lands. The Yazidis paid a great price to protect Iraq in their time. During the Iran-Iraq war, Yazidis in Shengal were martyred to protect their lands. The Iraqi government does not see this and is carrying out attacks on Shengal with the hand of Erdogan.”

 

'THE FIRST TIME THE YAZIDIS DEFENDED THEMSELVES'

 

Emphasizing that the military units established under the roof of Êzidxan Asayish are legitimate forces, Agal said, “These attacks did not start today. It has increased a lot recently though. These attacks actually started when Shengal woke up from that heavy sleep, recognized itself and did not accept what was imposed on it. The invaders know this, they are afraid of Shengal. They think that Yazidis were their slaves. They want to put Shengal back into that deep sleep. The Shengal Autonomous Administration has repeatedly said that they are ready for dialogue and they should sit down to solve their problems. But the invaders continued to attack. With these attacks, they showed once again that they do not want Shengal to be have its own will. Shengal saw that Iraq and regional governments left them alone and defenseless. They have no trust in anyone. For the first time in history Shengal is defending and protecting itself as an autonomous region."

 

 

‘ROJAVA WILL BE NEXT’

 

Pointing out that Shengal is at a strategic region, Agal said, “Shengal is reviving. There were great events in Shengal. No one believed that the people of Shengal would respond to the attacks. But Şengal proved otherwise. Wounded and devastated, that the poeple of Shengal recovered themselves and, showed their strength to everyone. Shengal became the light in the darkness. They organised themselves with the perspective of freedom and built an egalitarian, democratic life. The structure built in Shengal makes Turkey lose its sleep. Everyone knows that the chief of ISIS is Erdogan. That's why today Erdogan's hatred for Yazidis is more than ever. He wants to avenge ISIS in addition they see Shengal as the part of Rojava. They want to use Shengal to attack Rojava. This is also a very important point. They want to open the gate of invasion to Rojava through Shengal.” 

 

'WOMEN ARE THE PIONEERS OF SOCIETY'

 

Drewing attention to the struggle of Yazidi women and Xanê Agal continued as follows: “All social problems depend on women. There is both dictatorship and self-deception in the question of women. The pioneer of society is women. Society cannot be liberated without the liberation of women. As long as women are oppressed, society will also be oppressed. We will see that women have a very special and meaningful place in the Yazidi faith. Therefore, the more the woman lost, the more the society lost. No one can deny this fact.  3,000 Yazidi women are missing. We need to feel and experience what those women went through. Every woman needs to see themselves and empower themselves in this way. Only women can end the persecution of Yazidis. Our call to all women is 'fight'. If we do not fight, there will be no one to resist for us.”