It has been two years since Shengal city center was liberated from ISIS. The Êzidî people have been building their own defenses since then, and are working hard for their status.

HPG (People’s Defense Forces) Commander Serkeft Çalak spoke to ANF about the 11 month long great resistance and the second anniversary of the liberation of Shengal city center.

Serkeft Çalak said they arrived in Shengal on August 8, 2014 on the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s request and added that HPG forces settled in the mountain after the YPG opened a corridor from the Digorê side to rescue the remaining people.

“WE DIDN’T ABANDON ANY PLACE”

Çalak continued: “There have been many tragedies. There have been people who died of thirst and hunger. We fought ISIS every day in the Shengal city center for 11 months. It was a very difficult battle. Our positions were extremely close to each other. We were fighting street by street. KDP forces never came in to help. They didn’t want a joint force to emerge. For 11 months, there was a very rough war in the neighborhood. A great price has been paid. A great resistance emerged. This resistance needed to prevail, no matter what. We didn’t abandon any place we took control of. After the 11 month long period in the neighborhood, there was one operation left in the city center. The Peshmergas who came to the city center wanted to make it look like they liberated Shengal themselves. Without us, the Peshmergas never could have entered Shengal. Especially the KDP forces wanted to create an air that they took Shengal. When Shengal city center was liberated, only the HPG forces were at the front. But Masoud Barzani claimed in a statement that only KDP was there - while it was the exact opposite. Even now, they want to employ the same propaganda.”

AGAINST ALL INVADERS

Shengal stated that now with the peshmerga withdrawing, Hashd al-Shaabi forces have entered Shengal and reiterated that the Hashd al-Shaabi forces are under Iran’s control. Çalak said, “They want to take the conflicts here even further. Their goal is not to liberate these lands, but to invade. It is clear what was done in Kirkuk. They want to do the same here. Our people need to see these tricks and be aware of this force. If Hashd al-Shaabi achieves control, they will turn against the Êzidî people next. Because they have no agenda of saving the Êzidî people.”