The Democratic Autonomous Assembly of Shengal (Meclîsa Xweseriya Demokratîk a Şengalê, MXDŞ) released a statement about the Turkish cross-border operation launched in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) in cooperation with the ruling KDP on April 17.

The press statement read out by Azad Hisên in the name of the Democratic Autonomous Assembly of Shengal includes the following:

“Humanity is taking to the streets all around the globe today under the motto “Defend Kurdistan” with the main objective of stopping the occupation attacks of the Turkish state, which launched a new aggression against freedom guerrillas on April 17 and has been attacking South Kurdistan land for two months, employing chemical weapons among others. We are aware of the fact that these attacks are not aimed at the PKK guerrillas alone. The main purpose of the Turkish state is to occupy South Kurdistan in the scope of neo-Ottoman policies.

The struggle of the guerrillas against the Turkish state stands for the entire Middle East and humanity. The Turkish state and Erdoğan represent fascism and seek to expand it worldwide. The guerrilla resistance is a fight against fascism. Guerrillas defend not only Kurdistan, but the entire Middle East and humanity. That’s why the entire humanity should embrace this struggle.

As the Yazidi community and people of Shengal, we are witnesses of massacres. We witnessed in 2014 who defends freedom and who the dictator is. When DAESH (ISIS) gangs attacked the Yazidi people in 2014, KDP peshmergas and Iraqi troops abandoned us, while guerrillas came to our rescue. When the Turkish state launched an attack on Zap, Avaşin and Metina on April 17, the Iraqi army attacked Shengal on April 18. The attack on Shengal was carried out by the Iraqi army, yet it is the Turkish state and the KDP that are behind this aggression. The attacks on Shengal are a part of the occupation campaign.

Having failed to triumph over the guerrillas, the Turkish state now faces into Rojava Kurdistan and it wants to eliminate the Rojava Revolution which has become a source for all humanity. As Yazidi people, we will never forget fighters from Rojava rushing to our aid during the genocide when hundreds of thousands from Shengal took refuge in Rojava. The Turkish state wants to destroy both Rojava and the Yazidis who have taken shelter there. With the invasion of Afrin, thousands of Yazidis took refuge in the Shehba region, which is also under Turkish attack at the moment.

The attacks against freedom guerrillas and the attacks against Rojava and Shengal are the same. The Turkish state is conducting a genocidal campaign in South Kurdistan territories in cooperation with the KDP and with the support of the al-Kadhimi government. Now that all the attacks are interrelated, we should unite our struggle in the same way. As the Yazidi community and people of Shengal, we state that we will be standing against occupation with all our might. We will defend Shengal and Rojava, whatever the price. Our hearts are with those who saved us from genocide, opened the way for a free life and the students of Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) who are resisting in Zap, Avaşin and Metina.”