Ten years have passed since the liberation of the Shengal region from the terrorist militia ‘Islamic State’. On 3 August 2014, the region in north-west Iraq was invaded by ISIS, with the Iraqi army troops and the peshmerga of southern Kurdistan’s governing party, KDP, who were responsible for security, retreating without a fight. ISIS committed genocide and femicide against the Yazidi community.
Only with the help of a dozen guerrilla fighters from the PKK were hundreds of thousands of people saved from certain death or enslavement. Reinforcements from the HPG (People’s Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) then moved out of the Kurdistan mountains. Together with the YPG (People’s Defense Units) and YPJ (Women’s Defense Units), a corridor of escape to Rojava was created. Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and Shengal Women’s Units (YJŞ) were formed, and the region was liberated step by step. In January 2015, an autonomous council was proclaimed. On 31 October 2015, an offensive began to liberate the villages in the west of the city of Shengal, and on 13 November 2015, ISIS was completely driven out of the region.
Shengal is the last remaining settlement area of the Yazidi community. Since 2017, the region has been frequently bombed by Turkish fighter jets and drones. The specific targets are mostly facilities of the administrative body ‘Democratic Autonomous Council of Shengal’ (MXDŞ) or the self-defence units. Many of the fatalities are civilians, often survivors of the ISIS genocide of 2014. Many militants of the PKK movement who took part in the fight against ISIS in Shengal and protected the Yazidi community have also been killed in attacks by the Turkish state. Nevertheless, the reconstruction of Shengal continues. People’s Councils have been established in the region, and the Yazidi women’s movement is a driving force in the struggle for self-determination and survival.