Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and Shengal Women’s Units (YJŞ) issued a written statement on Mosul Operation and said “The question of which forces will participate in Mosul Operation has widely been debated recently. As Sinjar Defense Units, we have been fighting against ISIS effectively for more than two years. Shengal is an important residential area in Mosul province, and our forces are the main units that defend it. Therefore, Mosul operation and the governance of the city after its liberation are of utmost importance to us.”

In its statement, YBŞ/YJŞ recalled that the occupation of Shengal and massacre of its civilians was orchestrated from Mosul, and thousands of captive Êzidîs still remain in Mosul. YBŞ/YJŞ stated that it would not accept any system that does not acknowledge the will, culture and faith of Êzidî people, who would be the most persecuted people if the new system in Mosul does not create an environment of coexistence among different religious and ethnic groups. Therefore, YBŞ/YJŞ said that Mosul’s future is of great concern to them, and the presence of the Turkish state in Mosul could be the sign of future massacres to come.

YBŞ/YJŞ noted that 65 of the 74 massacres in Êzidî history have been carried out by the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish state, and Êzidî people and their defence forces would not allow another Turkish occupation of the region. YBŞ/YJŞ recalled that they are acknowledged and accepted by the central government in Iraq, and called upon the Iraqi government to make its stance clear to all parties and officially invite them to join Mosul operation.