Shingle_ Shingle has recently wintnessed an escalation in government military presence, which has directly affected the lives Of Yazidis. The spread of forces and checkpoints has led to tightened measures against members of the community.

On September 1, a meeting held in Baghdad_Without the presence of representatives of the Yazidi community_ adopted a decision regarding Shingle, and a decision was also issued to disarm the Shingle Protection Forces.

Discontent within the Yazidi community over this situation is growing day by day. In the latest move, a mass march was organized in Shingle on September 6, during which the Iraqi government was asked to lift these pressures on the Yazidi community and to recognize the Shingle Protection Forces.

"If We Remain Silent, Worse Things Will Happen to Us"

Teacher Jilan Suleiman explained that the march was organized in Sinun in protest against the increase in the number of Iraqi military forces in Shingle and the failure to grant Yazidis their rights: "Recently, many military checkpoints have been established, and once again they are asking our military forces to hand over their weapons. Our protection forces are not recognized, and we are against that. We do not want our forces to hand over their weapons. Those who will protect us are the Yazidis themselves."

She added: "We face many obstacles at the checkpoints. If all these checkpoints and obstacles had existed during the time of the Farman, all those things would not have happened to the Yazidis."

"We Will Not Accept That a Foreign Force Protects Us"

Jilan Suleiman directed an appeal to the Iraqi government to recognize the protection forces and Yazidi institutions and bodies, saying: "There is no stranger among us. Our community protects itself and manages its own affairs. We are also part of Iraq and demand our rights."

She continued: "We have been subjected to 74 Farmans, and until now the genocide committed against us has not been recognized. We want recognition of the genocide, our forces, and our institutions."

Her appeal to the Yazidi community is not to remain silent before this situation: "We do not accept that a stranger comes to protect us or comes to manage our affairs."

 

"Our Community Must Hold on to Shingle More Firmly"

For her part, Bekez Jalal, co‑president of the Martyrs' Families Foundation in Shingle, pointed to increasing military movement and activity in Shingle: "The number of checkpoints has been increased, and obstacles are being placed before our community. We are from Shingle, and we are from Iraq. Our identity is all linked to Iraq. We demand that the government recognize our forces."

She added: "Today, our fighters in the Shingle Resistance Units and the Women's Units in Shingle (YBŞ and YJŞ), and the Yazidi security forces, are the ones who protect us. No one from outside Shingle will protect the city. The Freedom Movement is the one that liberated us. We have offered many martyrs. We demand that the protection of the region be in the hands of its own people."

Bekez Jalal explained that Yazidis do not trust any other force or person: "Our trust is in the force that stayed with us in those mountains—hungry and thirsty—during the time of the Farman. As for the person who comes from outside, they will not feel the same pain for our land. We hope our community will care more for its land and its homeland."