DIRN RAHIM

Sulaymaniyah — Following the Anfal genocide committed by the Iraqi Ba'ath regime, the 2014 Shingal massacre represented one of the most heinous acts of genocide targeting the Kurdish people in modern Middle Eastern history.

The genocide left catastrophic humanitarian consequences: 2,745 children were orphaned, including 1,759 who lost their fathers, 407 who lost their mothers, 359 who lost both parents, and 220 children who lost all their family members.

Political activist Sara Reza from the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region stated that the ISIS attack on August 3, 2014, was premeditated and represents the 74th genocide against the Yazidi community. "On this anniversary, we remember the martyrs who fell in that genocide, and we say that what happened was not a random event, but a planned operation. It was preceded by meetings and planning for the attack, and the assaults began from Mosul before spreading to Shingal."

She noted that thousands of Iraqi forces and Peshmerga forces were present in the region but withdrew as the attack began, after weapons had been previously confiscated from Shingal's residents.

She explained that "residents were forced to flee to the mountains, while Yazidi women were abducted and enslaved, men were subjected to mass killings, villages were completely destroyed, families were torn apart, and many survivors suffered long-term psychological disorders."

She affirmed that the Yazidi community, despite the scale of the tragedy, demonstrated exceptional resistance, pointing out that ISIS's true goal was to erase Shingal's identity and culture, yet the Yazidis have managed to preserve their language, culture, and identity to this day.

"Yazidi Women Are Still Being Sold in Some Countries"

Sara Reza explained that a number of Yazidi women remain in the grip of ISIS, calling on the Iraqi government, the United Nations, and international bodies to recognize what happened in Shingal as genocide, and to work toward liberating the women and children whose fate remains unknown.

She said: "Information continues to emerge about Yazidi women being sold and trafficked in some countries. The mass killing, forced displacement, forced religious conversion, sexual slavery, systematic abduction of women and children, and their sale in the markets of areas controlled by ISIS constitute crimes against humanity."

She added that the Kurdish people are called upon to continue their struggle and not to compromise on the cause of the women of Shingal, who continue their resistance to this day.

"ISIS Is a Creation of Major Powers"

Sara Reza considers ISIS a "creation of major powers and states," noting that the appointment of Ahmad al-Shara (al-Jolani) as president of Syria, after he was previously wanted by the United States, raises many questions. "Major powers, along with the states that partitioned Kurdistan, bear responsibility for the emergence and support of ISIS." She affirmed that many of the organization's mercenaries have not yet been held accountable.

She added that some countries have demanded the repatriation of their citizens from among ISIS mercenaries present in the Autonomous Administration areas in northern and eastern Syria, but many have not followed through. She considers that the organization continues to be used as a political pressure card against the Kurds. "Shingal still faces ongoing risks, and the threat is not limited to it, but extends to Rojava and all parts of Kurdistan, as ISIS could be re-employed at any time to serve the interests of regional and international powers."