The Yazidi town of Shengal (Sinjar), which was subjected to genocide by ISIS mercenaries on August 3, 2014, was liberated on November 13, 2015, after months of resistance led by HPG guerrillas and Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ). The people of Shengal formed their self-defence and self-government as the greatest response to further massacres and betrayal in Shengal.

Having declared its Democratic Autonomous Administration, Shengal became the target of both the Turkish state and South Kurdistan’s ruling party, KDP. While armed groups affiliated with the KDP and the Turkish army launched attacks in 2017, the central Iraqi government also resorted to various methods to eliminate the autonomy in Shengal.

The Turkish state has recently taken action for further massacres in Shengal. YBŞ commanders Pîr Çeko and Agir Cefri were killed on February 27, and Yazidi Public Security Executive Member Şêrzad Şemo Kasım was killed on March 1 by Turkish air strikes. These attacks by the Turkish state took place right after an operation by the YBŞ and Shengal Asayish against MIT (Turkish intelligence service) agents deployed to Shengal by the KDP. Two MIT agents, named Seed Casim Mirad and Selah Berces were captured during the operations of the Shengal security forces, which were carried out on February 24 and dubbed "Revenge Operations".

TIMELINE OF ATTACKS ONGOING FOR 6 YEARS

The attacks of KDP-affiliated mercenaries and Turkish state forces against Shengal have continued uninterruptedly since 2017. Below is a timeline of these attacks, during which many Yazidi politicians, revolutionaries, fighters and civilians who led the liberation of Shengal were massacred:

March 3, 2017: The group called “Roj Peshmergas” affiliated with the KDP attacked the Khanasor (Xanesor) district of Shengal. Nazê Nayif, a member of the Yazidi Free Women's Movement (TAJÊ), 7 YBŞ fighters and HPG guerrillas were killed in the attack of the peshmergas trained by the Turkish state in Bashiqa. Journalist Nûjiyan Erhan, who was seriously injured in this attack, died on April 22.

April 24- 25, 2017: Shengal, located approximately 170 km away from Turkey's borders, was attacked by Turkish fighter jets for the first time. The Çira Radio station was also targeted in the air strike that hit the villages of Kesre and Amude in Shengal and the Qereçox mountain of Derik, killing a young person. On the same night, 20 YPG/YPJ fighters were martyred in the simultaneous attacks against Rojava Kurdistan.

August 15, 2018: Yazidi Coordination Member Mam Zekî Şengalî (İsmail Özden) and his security guard Mahir Serhat Şengalî were martyred in an air strike carried out by the Turkish army in Shengal.

December 13, 2018: Three civilians from Kobanê, Xelîl Xalid Cio, Mistefa Hecî and Mehmud Xan Temo, were killed in a Turkish airstrike in Shengal. These civilians had come to Shengal from Kobanê to earn a livelihood from the water mill business.

November 19, 2019: Turkish drones carried out an attack on Khanasor in the morning hours and 6 fighters of the Shengal Defence Units (YBŞ) were martyred.

January 15, 2020: Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) Commander Zerdeşt Şengalî and fighters Şervan Cila and Êzdîn Şengalî were martyred in an airstrike on the Dugirê village of Shengal.

June 15, 2020: Turkish fighter jets carried out an air strike on Shengal, Maxmur and Medya Defence Zones at night. Khanasor and Serdesht hospitals were targeted in the attack in Shengal.

30 June 2020: Civilians who took shelter on Mount Shengal to protect themselves from ISIS were subjected to air attacks by the Turkish state.

August 23-26, 2020: The Turkish army carried out a three-day attack targeting several points in Medya Defence Zones and Shengal. 2 people were martyred when Turkish drones targeted a vehicle on August 26 in the Behrava village of Khanasor.

November 9, 2020: The village of Barê in Shengal was once again attacked by Turkish drones. The attack killed 2 YBŞ fighters and injured 2 people.

August 16, 2021: YBŞ Commander Seîd Hesen and YBŞ fighter Îsa Xwedada were martyred in an attack by Turkish drones in Shengal. Seid Hesen led the Yazidi freedom struggle from battles to politics and diplomacy.

August 17, 2021: Turkish fighter jets targeted a hospital in the village of Sikêniyê on the slopes of Mount Shengal. The attack killed 3 health officers and injured 4 YBŞ fighters in the hospital, which was destroyed completely.

December 7, 2021: Shengal Autonomous Administration Executive Council Co-Chair Merwan Bedel Xwedêda (Dijwar) was martyred in a Turkish drone attack in Khanasor, and two of his children in the vehicle were injured.

December 11, 2021: Turkish fighter jets bombed the Khanasor People's Assembly building in Shengal. The building was destroyed completely.

January 21, 2022: YBŞ Commander Azad Êzdîn (Sileman Şemo Yusuf) and YBŞ fighter Enver Tolhildan (Naci Heci Sebro) were martyred in a Turkish drone attack in Shengal.

February 1, 2022: Shengal was also targeted during a large-scale Turkish air strike campaign against the Medya Defence Zones at night.

June 15, 2022: Xidir Şivan Naso and 12-year-old Selah Naso were martyred, and 8 other people were injured as a result of the explosion of a bomb placed in the People's Assembly building in the Sinûnê district of Shengal.

May 2, 2022: Following the order of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Iraqi army forces attacked Shengal Public Security Centre and the Digurê village of Sinûn. As a result of the resistance of YBŞ and YJŞ fighters and Shengal Asayish forces, the Iraqi army had to withdraw. YBŞ member Şervan Êzîdxan and YJŞ member Feraşîn Şengalî were martyred.

August 29, 2022: Turkish drones bombed a vehicle on the move between Khanasor and Barê village. The attack killed 2 YBŞ fighters and injured two others.

September 11, 2022: A vehicle of the YBŞ was attacked by Turkish drones in the Behrewa Village of Khanasor. The attack did not result in casualties or injuries.

September 26, 2022: The district of Til Ezer was attacked by Turkish fighter jets.

November 6, 2022: The Turkish army carried out an air strike against the Serdesht Camp.

October 28, 2022: A civilian vehicle was attacked by Turkish drones near the city centre of Jidal.The attack did not result in casualties or injuries.

October 29, 2022: A house in the Khanasor district was bombed. The attack did not result in casualties or injuries.

November 1, 2022: The Hesin Meman Dome, one of the holy places of the Yazidi people, was bombed.

November 3, 2022: The Turkish state bombed a vehicle in the historical al-Nasır neighbourhood of Shengal which witnessed an 11-month resistance by HPG guerrillas and YBŞ fighters against ISIS. A civilian from Shengal named Mihsen Şemo was martyred in the attack.

February 27, 2023: Turkish drones targeted a vehicle in Shengal, killing YBŞ commanders Pîr Çeko (Seed Elî Bedel) and Agir Cefri (Xeyrî Xidir Xelef) and injuring another fighter.

March 1, 2023: The invading Turkish state targeted a vehicle of the Êzidxan Asayish in Shengal downtown around noon. Êzidxan Asayish Executive Member Şêrzad Şemo Qasim was martyred.