The Êzidî community in Shengal bid farewell to their martyrs who lost their lives on the March 3 attack, and held a joint press statement with hundreds attending afterwards.

Heci Hesen read the statement in the name of Shengal Constituent Assembly, Shengal Women’s Assembly and Êzidî Freedom and Democracy Party (PADÊ) and said: “This incident in Khanesor happened in line with the perspective and the order of Erdoğan’s and Barzani’s meeting in Turkey. These gang forces call themselves “Roj peshmerga” and are comprised of Syrian Kurdish refugees, Turkish intelligence MIT and ISIS gang members that have been trained in Southern Kurdistan by the Turkish state and the KDP. These forces claimed they were going to fight ISIS and defend Shengal. But they attacked Êzidîs instead. The town of Khanesor is a liberated town and is under YBŞ control. YBŞ is made up of Êzidî daughters and sons. They have faith and they are resilient. They are fighting ISIS.”

“WE DON’T WANT THE PESHMERGA WHO FLED IN SHENGAL”

Heci Hesen also touched upon the goals of the KDP-backed armed groups and said: “If the purpose of the Rojava peshmerga was to save the Êzidî women and children enslaved by ISIS and to avenge our people murdered in the 73rd massacre, they would move towards the east of Shengal and liberate Southern Shengal from ISIS control with the peshmerga there. But the peshmerga positioned there again enabled passage for ISIS-allied gangs and placed them in Southern Kurdistan. For example, the gangs in Qabus village: By the beginning of the Mosul operation in 2015, the peshmerga opened the way for the gangs and Hashdi Shabi retaliated.”

CALL ON THE UN, BAGHDAD AND HEWLER

Hesen called on human rights organizations and continued: “We are calling on the United Nations and the benevolent states. Don’t let the Êzidîs suffer through another massacre. We are also calling on the UN to stop their aid for the peshmerga. Because most of the aid the peshmerga receive are supposed to be for Êzidîs, but the aid and weapons and ammunition are used against them. We are also calling on the Iraqi Government, take a clear stance for a solution in Shengal. There is still uncertainty in Shengal after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government.

For Êzidîs to be able to protect themselves from attack and guarantee their existence, the YBŞ and independent defense forces should be supported. We are calling on the people and the political parties of the Kurdistan region, clarify your stance. We are also calling on the headmen and religious representatives that keep speaking on behalf of the Êzidîs. They represent only themselves. The Êzidîs can represent themselves, they can speak for themselves. Everybody knows they turned their backs on the Êzidîs in their time of need. Now they can’t represent the Êzidîs. They made Qasim Shesho commander for short term plays, and they added Haydar Shesho's forces to the peshmerga in the region. We are also calling on these forces, those who abandoned our people in August 2014, stay away. Nobody has forgotten about that.”

The statement Heci Hesen read continued: “Our stance to build Democratic Autonomy is for Shengal having an independent administration and being under the Iraqi government. Because we have lost faith in the peshmerga. They caused a massacre to befall our people. They turned their back on the civilian population of women, children and elderly, abandoned them to ISIS gangs and fled. That is why we want the peshmerga forces, especially the KDP peshmergas to withdraw from the region. We want Baghdad to make YBŞ more active in regards to weapons and numbers, so the massacre doesn’t happen again.

“THERE WOULD BE A CIVILIAN MASSACRE IF IT WASN’T FOR YBŞ’S RETALIATION”

This is how we see the situation:

1-The continuation of the 73rd massacre means the annihilation of Êzidîs.

2-The road between Rojava and Shengal has been closed and Shengal has been surrounded, thus vital needs are prevented from reaching Shengal. As it is known, the KDP has closed the Sihêla village road between Southern Kurdistan and Shengal.

3-The other aims are apparently not connected with Khanesor. But they are not separate either. Erdoğan’s interests are being implemented through Barzani. He creates the brothers’ fight, eliminates the Kurds’ solution and eliminates the gains the people of Northern Syria achieved by tooth and nail. And so the YBŞ prevented the implementation of these dirty plans. These plans attacked the YBŞ and the people of Khanesor. 5 YBŞ fighters and 2 HPG guerrillas fell martyr. Then the YBŞ had to retaliate in order to prevent a full on massacre of the civilian population.”