CDK-F condemns Turkish army attack against Shengal

In the space of 24 hours, between Monday and Tuesday, the Turkish army bombed the town of Shengal twice. On Monday, drones targeted a vehicle in the city center, killing two and injuring several. Just 24 hours later, it was a local hospital that was targeted by several strikes that also hit people trying to rescue the wounded buried under the rubble of the hospital.

The CDK-F said in a statement that “although the Shengal region poses no threat to Turkey, Turkey continues to violate international law with impunity by bombing civilian settlements in the region, and commits war crimes by targeting hospitals.

So far, several dozen people have perished in the bombs of the Turkish army, in the deafening and shameful silence of the international community.”

The statement added: “Turkey’s crimes against the Yazidis in Shengal, but also in other parts of southern Kurdistan, are also encouraged by the shameful and cynical silence of the Iraqi government. The people of Shengal who were victims of genocide perpetrated by ISIS in 2014 are now under constant threat from Turkey.”

The statement condemned “the silence of the international community,” saying it “cannot last any longer! It is now essential that the international community and human rights defenders take this issue seriously in order to find a concrete solution.

This is why we ask France, which we know is sensitive to the fate of the Yazidi community, to work for the recognition of the autonomous administration of Shengal, in order to protect the Yazidis against the war crimes of the Turkish state.”

The CDK-F also called “on the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission to investigate the attack on the Shengal area hospital which left several people dead.”