NEWS CENTER - Stating that the people of Shengal must protect themselves and determine their own destiny, KNK said: “The Kurdish people must not forget this trauma and must show great solidarity and unity at the national and local level.”
The Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) made a written statement on the 10th anniversary of the massacre carried out by ISIS in Shengal on August 3, 2014. The statement included the following statements: "Shengal is the homeland of the Yazidi people and has become a target of ISIS. We know that all Kurds are disturbed by these attacks. Turkey, Iran and even the Baghdad administration, together with the chauvinist regime in Damascus, supported these attacks. ISIS became a symbol of hatred and hostility towards Kurds and Kurdistan. ISIS acted as an extension of the colonialist systems in Kurdistan. These attacks targeted the gains of the Kurds in Rojava and Southern Kurdistan and tried to impose colonialism on the Kurds again. At the same time, attacks were also carried out against the Yazidi faith. ISIS gangs occupied Shengal and carried out a genocide against the Yazidi people. The Yazidi people were massacred, women and children were taken captive, and the Yazidi people were handed over to a dark understanding of Islam. Thousands of Yazidi women were sold as slaves and forcibly detained.
Especially the HPG (Hêzên Parastina Gel- People Defense Forces), The YPG (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel-People's Defense Units) and YPJ (Yekîneyên Parastina Jin-Women Defense Units) fighters made great sacrifices and fought against these attacks. On both the civilian and military fronts, Kurds and Kurdistanis united to fight against ISIS and defend the Yazidi people. International human rights organizations also played an active role in this struggle and provided extensive support for the Kurds. The national forces of Kurdistan took important steps to protect the Yazidi people and to display great resistance. ISIS was neutralized by the unity of both local and international forces, and Shengal and other regions of Kurdistan were cleared of ISIS gangs. Shengal and the Yazidi people were handed over to ISIS gangs, and the forces that did not take responsibility for this situation are now implementing their dirty plans for Shengal. The KDP and the Baghdad administration signed an agreement on the protection of Shengal on July 9, 2020, and demonstrated their lack of will to protect the people of Shengal. The Turkish state's support for this agreement was also a part of the July 9 Agreement. The people of Shengal and the forces defending Shengal do not accept this agreement and oppose it. The will of the people of Shengal to protect their identity continues. We must be careful against dirty plans. Shengal is subject to attacks because of its Yazidi identity. This situation requires the people of Shengal to protect themselves and determine their own destiny. We emphasize that Shengal should have a special status. The suffering experienced by the Yazidi people is still fresh and the Kurdish people must not forget this trauma and must show great solidarity and unity at the national and local levels.”