Shengal Tribes Council made a statement against the ongoing occupation attacks of the Turkish state against southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

Remarking that the attacks of the Turkish state against the people of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue, the Council said: "Villages are being evacuated and bombed in order to scare the people. Citizens are driven away from their homes with false allegations that no one will believe, and the aim is to turn this region into a military zone. We know very well that PKK fighters fought against ISIS terrorism at a time when the Turkish state was supporting the gangs. All the actions of the Turkish state are aimed at harming the Iraqi people of different nationalities, especially the Kurdish people. For this purpose, they want to annex the occupied territories to their own state."

The statement also drew attention to the attacks of the Turkish state amounting to war crimes: "Civilians have been severely harmed and the nature of the Kurdistan Region has been plundered. All this is due to the support of the KDP (the ruling party in South Kurdistan) and the silence of the Iraqi government. While all this is happening under the eyes of the US and the International Coalition, no one is speaking out. As Iraqi sheikhs and tribal leaders, we reject these systematic attacks. We call on the international community, the Baghdad government and the Iraqi parliament to assume their humanitarian, moral and legal responsibilities and stop these crimes against humanity."

The statement continued: "We declare that the international community and the Baghdad government must take the necessary measures to prevent this brutal attack on our lands and our people. Against the occupying Turkish state’s aim to change the demographic structure of Iraq and plunder its riches, we are ready to protect Iraq's sovereignty. We reject the invasion of the Turkish army. The attacks of the Turkish state are nothing but a crime. These attacks increase our determination to defend Iraqi territory, sovereignty and people. Our goal is to ensure that Iraq becomes a fully federal and democratic state that embraces everyone.”