On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the genocide of August 3, 2014, which was carried out as a systematic genocide against the will and existence of our Yazidi community in Shengal (Sinjar) by the oppressive gangs of ISIS, we strongly condemn and denounce this brutal attack in the strongest possible terms.
In memory of the martyrs of the last Firman, we respectfully commemorate all the fedayeen who turned their bodies into shields against this brutality. The deep wound inflicted upon the heart and soul of our people in Shengal can only be healed by elevating the struggle, strengthening democratic self-administration, and reinforcing social organization.
With the support and planning of the occupying Turkish state, the brutal ISIS gangs sought to transform the genocide they had launched against our indigenous Yazidi community in Shengal into a comprehensive campaign of extermination targeting the Kurdish people as a whole.
To implement this dark strategy, they launched the most horrific and despicable attacks against our women, children, and elders, from Kobani to Shengal and Makhmour. At that historic moment, forces such as the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK), which had previously claimed to protect the region, abandoned their responsibility and left the Yazidi community at the mercy of this brutality to face a merciless massacre.
However, this dark scenario suffered a historic defeat thanks to the epic resistance of the “Twelve Heroes.” Through the determination of courageous women fighters filled with faith, the patriarchal and aggressive mentality that sought to enslave free will was decisively defeated.
The purpose of these attacks was not merely physical extermination. Their primary objective was to strip society of its will and sever the people of Shengal from their historical roots and their Yazidi identity. The crimes committed by these terrorist gangs—from killing and enslaving people to destroying cultural memory and attempting to erase religious identity—constitute a grave historical crime against human values and the philosophy of free life.
We call upon the conscience of the international community to fulfill its moral and historical responsibility by working for the liberation of the thousands of Yazidi women and youth who remain in captivity, because standing with the Yazidi people is a fundamental measure of humanity.
It must be clearly understood that the threats directed against Shengal are not merely attacks on a particular geographical area; they are a direct assault on the political and social existence and authentic identity of the Kurdish people as a whole. The only genuine guarantee for protecting our Yazidi community lies in strengthening the system of democratic self-administration and securing official recognition of their political and cultural rights. Protecting Shengal’s resistance and its free will means safeguarding the common essence and future of all free peoples.
We pledge to continue our struggle with unwavering determination until all our captive women are freed and the fate of the missing is revealed. In order to build a free, equal, and secure life worthy of our Yazidi community, we will devote all our moral and humanitarian support to this cause, and we will remain the voice and the will of our resilient Yazidi people.
General Command of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ)
03 August 2026
