“The aim of the attacks on Shengal is the destruction of Kurdish consciousness”

The Shengal region in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) is under permanent threat. After the ISIS genocide that began in 2014 and the subsequent defense and liberation of the region, the main Yazidi settlement area is now the focus of Turkey and its allies. On August 16, an airstrike in the old town of Shengal killed two members of the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ). A day later, eight people were killed and four others were injured in the bombing of the hospital in the village of Sikêniyê. These attacks took place in the context of a meeting between the United States and Turkey and a visit to Shengal by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Speaking to MA News Agency, Nergiz Güzel, a member of the Council for Ethnic and Religious Identities of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), commented on the purpose of the attacks.

“It’s about destroying this ancient faith”

“Part of the point of the attacks is to destroy this ancient land and this ancient faith. The Yazidis have experienced 74 massacres and genocides so far. The reason for these mass killings is that the Yazidis do not accept Islam and continue their lives with their own faith,” Güzel said. The politician pointed out that the self-rule of the region disturbs both the South Kurdistan Regional Government and Turkey’s power interests, stating, “They feel threatened because this is a people that is beginning to consider itself a subject in the Middle East. Turkey is trying to destroy Kurdish consciousness by expanding attacks.” This policy, he said, is rooted in the monist stance of the Turkish state, which does not tolerate any other than the Turkish Sunni one.

“The Barzani family thinks only of its power”

Güzel emphasized that the attacks took place after a meeting between representatives of Turkey and the United States and that the Iraqi and South Kurdistan governments were informed: “The Barzani family wants to be the only one in charge. It does not care what happens to the Kurds who are not its followers. Islam is said to be a religion of peace, but at the point we are at today, it is repeatedly conveyed as a war-oriented religion obsessed with bloodshed. In fact, the ISIS mentality persists. ISIS is shedding blood and governments and their bosses are doing it through their policies. Why don’t they accept the other? This concept of power and domination continues through history.”

“Everyone must take responsibility”

Güzel appealed to international powers, saying, “Nothing can be achieved through war. The solution should not be seen in war. The pain and destruction of Shengal are very bitter. Everyone must take responsibility for this and act accordingly.”