The Iraqi military buildup is gradually increasing around the Yazidi town of Shengal in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). Iraq has already started to build a wall to break the connection between Shengal and Rojava. While Iraqi authorities claim the aim is to protect the borders, they also want to break the connection between the Yazidis and the Arab villages.

The plan to cut off relations among Arab villages by putting razor wire fences 5 kilometres away from the Shengal border has caused public reaction. The plan is suspended now. However, the threat remains.

Concrete walls are currently being built between Rojava and Shengal for a 250-kilometer-long, 3-meter-high, 75-centimeter-thick wall. Construction work has just begun.

Speaking to ANF, Xezal Resho pointed to the potential threats posed by the wall. Resho reminded that when ISIS attacked in 2014, the people of Shengal survived mass slaughters by crossing the Rojava border. “Now, that border is being closed completely. This situation poses a threat to all residents of the region, specifically the Yazidi community. There are also attempts to separate Yazidis and Arabs from each other,” Resho said.

Resho remarked that if the Iraqi authorities want to protect the borders, security should be increased not only in Shengal but also at all borders.

“They want to besiege Shengal. What’s more, the Iraqi government is carrying out this plan in cooperation with the Turkish state and the KDP,” Resho noted.

“ISIS is not resurging here, but inside Iraq,” Resho insisted in a reference to the Iraqi government’s justification for building the wall.

The people of Shengal will do their best to prevent the construction of the wall, she underlined, adding that they want to live free in their own land, not under siege.

“Shengal is currently going through a dangerous period. Our people should know that this wall cannot protect them. Our people should oppose the construction of the wall. This is a dirty plan, and they cannot deceive our people,” Resho concluded.