The Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) announced in a written statement that no people were killed in the Turkish drone attack that targeted a vehicle earlier today in the Shengal (Sinjar) region in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The attack took place near an Iraqi army base in the village of Behreva near the Xanesor (Khanasor) town.

According to the statement, reconnaissance flights by Turkey have been taking place over the region for a fortnight. "Today, one of our cars was attacked twice by an armed drone between 9.30 and 10 am. We did not suffer any casualties in these attacks," explained the YBŞ.

The YBŞ Command pointed out that the Turkish state is attacking the peoples of the region and the Middle East in an inhumane way: "Especially against the Yazidi community and the peoples of the region, the Turkish occupying state is in a constant position of attack and is implementing different methods of aggression."

"Turkey wants to complete the ISIS genocide in Shengal"

Since Shengal was liberated from the murderous ISIS gangs, there have been constant drone attacks on the population, the statement continued: "Clearly, the Turkish state wants to complete what ISIS has failed to do." Since the ISIS genocide of 2014, which the Yazidi community refers to as Ferman, the people of Shengal have been attacked by Turkey using cowardly and unethical methods. The aim is to prevent the Yazidis who have been displaced by ISIS from returning to their homes and to render the population helpless and unable to defend themselves.

"The Turkish state's dirty plan targets all the fought-for gains of our people and the people of the region. For this reason, people must rise up with great anger and be constantly in action. Our people must organise themselves against the occupiers and genocides", stated the YBŞ Command and vowed to continue the defence of the region under all circumstances: "We will resist against any form of occupation attack until the last moment of our lives and extend our struggle, whatever it may cost. For this we are even better prepared and even stronger than before."

Last settlement area of the Yazidi community

Shengal is the last contiguous settlement area of the Yazidi community. The YBŞ and the YJŞ (Shengal Women's Units) were formed in self-defence after the genocide and femicide committed by the "Islamic State" (ISIS) in Yazidi town in 2014.

As Turkey increasingly conducts drone attacks in northern Iraq and northern Syria, the last drone attack in Shengal took place on 29 August, when, according to the YBŞ, two fighters were injured. On the same day, Evizet Abdullah Abid, a civilian father of six children, was killed in a drone attack in the Maxmur refugee camp. The Turkish state makes no distinction between armed forces and civilians in its attacks.

In Shengal, air strikes have increasingly been carried out since 2017 under the pretext of "fighting the PKK". The specific targets are mostly representatives and institutions of the Democratic Autonomous Assembly of Shengal (MXDŞ) and the defence units YBŞ/YJŞ. The casualties are mainly civilians - often survivors of the 2014 ISIS genocide. In June, three civilians were killed in a Turkish drone attack in Shengal, including a twelve-year-old child. In February, three civilian Arab workers died in multi-hour bombings on 22 targets. In December 2021, Merwan Bedel, co-chair of the MXDŞ Executive Commission, a long-time core personality of the autonomous administration, was assassinated in a Turkish drone strike. A doctor and nurses were among the eight people killed in an air strike on a hospital in Sikêniyê in August 2021.

In the autonomous region of northern and eastern Syria, 27 people were killed in Turkish drone attacks in August, including eight minors.