The invading Turkish state has attacked Shengal dozens of times since 2017. Military and civilian leaders of the Yazidi community, as well as civilian citizens, have been martyred in the ongoing attacks.

The Turkish state is continuing its massacre attacks launched first with the help of ISIS on 3 August 2014. Supporting the Turkish attacks, the KDP drafted forces affiliated to the Kazimi government into the ongoing operations. On 3 March 2017, the KDP deployed forces called "Roj" Xanesor district of Shengal. As a result of the attacks, Naze Nayif, a member of the Yazidi Women's Freedom Movement (TAJÊ), 7 fighters affiliated to the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and People's Defence Forces (HPG) were killed. Moreover, journalist Nûjiyan Erhan, a representative of the Free Press tradition, who exposed the Shengal Massacre to the world, was seriously injured in the same attack and died on 22 March.

TURKISH ATTACKS AFTER KDP ATTACK

The first Turkish airstrike against Shengal, which is 170 km away from Turkey, was carried out on 25 April 2017. On the same day, the Turkish army attacked the YPG General Command headquarters on Qereçox Mountain in Rojava and killed 20 YPG and YPJ fighters. In an attack on Shengal, a civilian was killed and a YBŞ fighter was injured. Plus, the Çira Radio building completely collapsed, and the city's park was seriously damaged because of the attacks.

YAZIDI LEADERS TARGETED

In its second attack, the Turkish state targeted Yazidi Community Coordination Member Mam Zeki Şengalî, who was returning from a commemoration ceremony for the Koço Massacre martyrs in the Şilo Valley region on 15 August 2018. Mam Zeki was martyred in the attack, while YBŞ fighter Mahir Serhed, who was seriously injured, died two weeks later.

ATTACKS BECAME PERMANENT

Thereafter, the attacks of the Turkish state became permanent. Three workers who came from Kobanê to dig a well in Shengal became the victims of a Turkish air strike on 13 December 2019. In November 2019, Turkish drones attacked the town of Xanesor, which left 6 YBŞ fighters dead.

ASSASSINATION OF YBŞ TOP COMMANDER

Turkish drones targeted a top YBŞ Commander, Zerdeşt Şengalî in Digur village of Sinunê district of Shengal at 10.30am on 15 January2020. Şengalî and YBŞ fighters Şervan Cilo and Êzdîn Şengali were killed and one person was injured.

TURKISH FORCES HIT HOSPITAL

Along with the attacks on the Martyr Rustem Cûdî (Maxmûr) Refugee Camp and the Medya Defence Zones on 15 June 2020, a hospital in the Serdeşt village and some places around Shengal Mountain were bombed.

ATTACK ON SERDESH CAMP

On 30 June the same year, the Yazidis in the Serdeşt Camp, who survived the Shengal Massacre, took refuge in the Shengal Mountain and took part in Shengal's liberation campaign, were targeted.

DRONE ATTACK ON VILLAGES OF XANESOR

On 23-25 ​​August 2020, several points in the Shengal Mountain were once again bombed simultaneously with the attacks on the Medya Defence Zones. The attacks continued on 26 August. A car was hit by Turkish drones in the village of Behrava in Xanesor, which killed two people. There were no casualties in the attack on the village of Barê. Barê was once again targeted by drones on 9 November. The attacks left a YBŞ fighter and a civilian martyred and two others injured.

ASSASSINATION OF SEID HESEN

The Turkish state targeted the vehicle of YBŞ Commander Seîd Hesen Seîd in the old bazaar in Shengal downtown at noon on 16 August 2021. Seîd Hesen Seîd and his nephew, who was a YBŞ fighter, Îsa Xweda were killed, and three other people were injured.

HOSPITAL IN SIKINIYÊ HIT

The next day, the Turkish state targeted a civilian hospital in the village of Sikiniyê. Turkish drones and fighter jets killed 8 people in the hospital. The hospital completely collapsed. Muxlis Sidar, who was killed during the attack, was one of the doctors without borders who came to Shengal from North Kurdistan (Turkey’s south-east) in 2014 to heal the Yazidis.

ASSASSINATION OF ASSEMBLY CO-CHAIR

Turkish drones targeted the vehicle of Shengal Democratic Autonomous Administration Executive Council Co-Chair Merwan Bedel on 7 December 2021. Following the attack, Bedel was martyred and his two children in the vehicle were injured.

Four days after this attack, Turkish forces bombed the People's Assembly headquarters in the Xanesor district of Shengal, causing material damage.

5 HOUR-LONG AIR STRIKE

The Turkish state did not stop its attacks in 2022 either. Turkish drones hit a vehicle in Shengal's Şilo Valley. Azad Êzdîn, a YBŞ Commander, and Enwer Tolhildan, a YBŞ fighter, were killed. Turkish fighter jets bombed Amûd and Çilmera regions, which are the strategic points of the Shengal Mountain, at 10pm on 1 February. However, there were no casualties in this air strike, which lasted about 5 hours.

12-YEAR-OLD TEEN KILLED

On 15 June, Turkish drones attacked the People's Assembly headquarters in the Sinunê district of Shengal and its vicinity. 12-year-old Selah Naso was killed, and 8 citizens were injured.

KAZIMI FORCES ALSO ATTACKED

In parallel with the new invasion attacks by the Turkish state in the Medya Defence Areas in April, Iraqi forces affiliated with the Kazimi government also attempted to enter Shengal. The Kazimi forces began to attack Yazidi Security Forces headquarters and the village of Digurê in Sinunê on 2 May. Yazidi Security Forces, especially the YBŞ and the YJŞ forces, resisted these attacks and were forced to retreat. During the battle, YBŞ fighter Şervan Êzîdxan and YJŞ fighter Feraşin Şengalî were killed.

CONTINUOUS RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS OVER SHENGAL

Turkish drones carried out attacks uninterruptedly against Shengal after 24 August 2022. On 29 August 2022, a vehicle that carried two YBŞ fighters was targeted between Xanesor sub-district and the village of Barê, and two fighters were injured.

Turkish drones targeted a vehicle of the YBŞ forces in the village of Behreva in Xanesor on 11 September; no casualties were reported.

The town of Til Ezer, known for its resistance against ISIS, was also attacked on 23 September, yet no casualties were reported.

The Serdesht Camp was targeted once again on 6 October. No casualties were reported in the attack.

On 28 October, a civilian vehicle that parked around Shengal's Cidale control centre was bombed. The next day, a house in the Xanesor district was bombed. No casualties were reported in these attacks.

HOLY PLACES ALSO TARGETED

On the first day of November, Turkish forces targeted the Hesin Meman Dome, one of the holy places of the Yazidi people, located in Shengal downtown. No casualties were reported, but the dome was damaged.

ONE MORE CIVILIAN CASUALTY IN A RECENT ATTACK

On 3 November, Turkish forces targeted a civilian vehicle on the move in the El Nasir District, one of the old neighbourhoods where the YBŞ and HPG guerrillas carried out the Shengal resistance for 11 months. A civilian named Mihsin Şemo was killed and the woman in the vehicle was injured.