"Shengal is a strategically important region. On one side is Rojava, and in the other direction is Iran. The US is pursuing its own plans in this area. No one has the right to play with the fate of our people," says Feleknas Uca.
HDP MP Feleknas Uca warns that the agreement reached in October between the Iraqi government and the KDP in Baghdad on the future of the main Yezidi settlement area of Shengal may lead to further massacres.
The foreign policy spokeswoman of the HDP parliamentary group recalls that the IS attack on Shengal in 2014 was the 75th massacre against the Yazidi people:
"In August 2014, a massacre of the Yazidi people was committed before the eyes of the world. The whole world watched, no one prevented this massacre. Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis became refugees in their own country. About 150,000 people moved to Mount Shengal through a corridor opened up by Kurdish young people. The Yazidi people struggled for days without food or drink. Hundreds of people died of hunger and thirst. After the massacre, a new life has been built in Shengal. The Yazidi people have proclaimed their autonomy and established their own councils. Thus, their own defense forces have also been formed. Women who were freed from IS captivity joined the YPJ afterwards."
Shengal to be depopulated
According to Uca, the YBŞ and YJŞ resistance units have made great sacrifices to defend Shengal. Regarding the agreement, the HDP politician states:
"The agreement aims to depopulate Shengal. Decisions are being made without involving the population. These decisions are politically motivated. The whole Shengal concept is based on an initiative to enable a US attack on Iran. Shengal is wanted to be depopulated to clear the way for Baghdad. The agreement is not just between Baghdad and the KDP; the US is behind it. Apart from the KDP, all parties and institutions in Southern Kurdistan are against it.
Dirty machinations are carried out over Shengal. Such machinations have existed before, but the people have not left the region and let these games go nowhere. The fact that the Yazidi people are organizing scares these forces, so plans are being made for more massacres. Already on August 14, 2007, a severe massacre was committed against the Yazidis, hundreds of people lost their lives. Already at that time Shengal was wanted to be depopulated. Since then, Yazidi youth have wanted to protect their homeland and be autonomous. After the IS attack in 2014, they finally organized and built their own defense forces.
Who was in Shengal in 2014? The KDP peshmerga was there. Before the massacre, the IS jihadists came and distributed leaflets saying that they were coming to drink tea on the holiday. And then they attacked. Before the IS jihadists came, the KDP peshmerga collected the weapons of the Yazidi people. After that, the massacre took place. A few days ago, the Iraqi central government wanted to collect weapons from the Yazidi people in Shengal. This is a sign of another massacre. The Yazidi people are wanted to be deprived of all means of defense so that the massacre will be even bigger. For this reason, a political decision has been taken and European countries are behind it."
Policy of occupation
Uca points out that the US wants to establish a Sunni belt between Baghdad and Shengal, continuing: "Shengal is a strategically important region. On one side is Rojava, and in the other direction is Iran. The US has its own plans in this area. They want to attack Iran and need Shengal for that. Shengal is in a central position. For this purpose, the Yazidi people are wanted to be sacrificed one more time. The Yazidis have not bowed in the past and will not do so now."
Regarding the Turkish occupation ambitions in the region, Feleknas Uca explains that the KDP has made itself a partner of Turkey: "The Medya Defense Zones are bombed daily, there are constant operations. The Turkish state wants to occupy not only Maxmur and Shengal, but all of Southern Kurdistan. More troops are being stationed there every day. The KDP and the Turkish state are openly cooperating.
Erdogan has stated that he would like to see an agreement similar to the one on Shengal for Maxmur as well. The people of Maxmur had to leave their homes in northern Kurdistan because of Turkey's war policy. Now the people are to be displaced again with a dirty policy. With this policy the Yazidi people and the people of Maxmur are wanted killed. Neither the people of Shengal nor those of Maxmur will bow to this policy. No one has the right to play with the fate of our people."
