The attacks by KDP and AKP gangs on March 3 and 14 have entered week 3. The tension still continues. This tension can break out in new clashes at any time. But these attacks and the tension have hidden an important reality, that of ISIS. But why?

WHO DID KDP AND AKP GANGS ATTACK AND WHY?

Many words have been written on how Shengal and dozens of its villages have been abandoned to ISIS. Those days have been relayed by the Shengalis many times. Witnesses have spoken of how many people were massacred in which village, the region and the world heard of this.

On August 3, 2014, ISIS entered Shengal center and thus completed the takeover of the whole of Shengal and its villages and districts. Hundreds of thousands of people fled ISIS cruelty to the Mount Shengal, and through the lifeline corridor opened there, to Rojava. Before that, more than 700 peshmerga under the command of Serbest Babir arrived in Rabia, under YPG control at the time. They went from Rabia to Tel Kocher, and then from the Semalka border gate to Zakho and Duhok.

During that time, Rudaw and other TV networks broadcasting in Southern Kurdistan, especially the pro-KDP ones, broadcast live the group of guerrillas crossing over to Shengal with a ceremony, in official vehicles. The months-long resistance resulted in over 300 thousand Êzidîs saved through the corridor dozens of guerrillas and YPG members lost their lives to keep open.

Young Êzidîs stood with the HPG guerrilla during the resistance and then organized the Shengal Defense Units. In time, the YBŞ comprised of these young people officially declared their founding and the Iraqi Central Government recognized this force officially, and accepted to pay their salaries.

HPG and YBŞ forces launched an operation to liberate Shengal. They first liberated districts and villages like Sinuni, Khanasor, Digura and Dahola and the are up to Bare in that region. Then, by the beginning of 2015, they launched an operation to liberate Shengal city center. They liberated Heye Nasır and Siti Zeynep neighborhoods in Shengal center and positioned themselves there.

The operation to liberate the city center lasted for some 11 months and on November 13, 2015, Shengal city center was completely cleared of ISIS gangs.

But dozens of villages, like Tel Keseb, Tel Benat, Tel Özer, Siba Şeyh Xıdır, Kocho, Rambüsiye, Sekeniye, Hayale and Tevra, are still under ISIS invasion. After Shengal was liberated, the KDP peshmerga positioned in an arc from Tel Banat to almost the Kızıl Kent village. To the Shengal side of the arc there were KDP peshmergas, and against them the ISIS gangs positioned themselves in the villages they invaded, and they are still there. There has been no attempt at liberating these villages. Not one attempt has been made against the ISIS gangs continuing their invasion. It’s almost like they are living in peace on opposite sides.

WHY DID THEY ATTACK THE YBŞ WHEN ISIS WAS RIGHT THERE?

Many villages like Siba Sheikh Xıdır, Tel Özer, Tel Keseb, Kocho, Tel Benat, Rambüsiye and Tevra are still under ISIS invasion. As a large portion of the sacred Shengal lands is still under ISIS invasion, and the KDP does nothing, them launching attacks on areas liberated by the HPG and the YBŞ has raised serious concerns and discussions. All are inadvertently thinking, do they see ISIS as friends and YBŞ as enemies? Because while many villages and districts are still under ISIS invasion, without any attempts to liberate those villages and towns, them attacking YBŞ and their headquarters will bring those questions to the minds of the people.

YBŞ CONSIST OF THE CHILDREN OF THE INVADED VILLAGES

YBŞ are forces comprised of the children of Shengal who resisted ISIS with whatever weapons they could get their hands on despite the KDP gathering their weapons as ISIS attacked Shengal on August 3. Most significant among them is the Sheikh Xeyri group from Siba Sheikh Hıdır village where they resist. Sheikh Xeyri spent great efforts in the YBŞ afterwards. He took part in the Military Council and lost his life in one of the clashes. Some 60% of the children of Shengal in the YBŞ are from villages still under ISIS invasion.

KDP and AKP gangs attacking not the ISIS-invaded villages but the YBŞ forces unavoidably brings up questions of whether the KDP is in cahoots with ISIS over the AKP. These questions being asked is completely normal. If the KDP wanted freedom for Shengal and the Êzidîs, they wouldn’t join forces with the AKP and attack YBŞ forces with groups turned into gangs, they would rather aim to liberate the ISIS-invaded villages. Not only did they not do that, but the KDP didn’t even think of supporting the operation YBŞ forces launched on November 13, 2016, on the anniversary of the city center’s liberation, to liberate Siba Sheikh Xidir, Tel Özer, Kocho, Sekeniye, Hayale and Tevra villages and avenge Êzidî women and girls. On the contrary, acting with the AKP, the KDP started to pressure the Iraqi Central Government to stop the operation. They issued threats that if the operation didn’t stop, Turkey would directly intervene and invade Shengal. After that, the Iraqi Central Government asked the YBŞ forces, who are officially under the Iraqi Central Government, to stop the operation.

KDP and Turkey didn’t stop there. They pressured the Iraqi Central Government to stop paying the salaries of YBŞ fighters. Iraqi Central Government authorities declared they received threats that unless the YBŞ command stops the operation they launched, Turkey would invade. For that reason, the operation ended after Sekeniye and Hayale villages were liberated. Also, due to pressure from AKP and KDP, the Central Iraqi Government stopped paying salaries for YBŞ fighters from November on.

When one puts all these together, this view unavoidably emerges, questioning whether they see ISIS as friends and YBŞ as enemies. It’s possible to ask more questions like this, but really, the meeting in Amman before the Shengal invasion, after which Serbest Babir’s peshmerga retreated from Shengal and gave ISIS the opportunity to easily invade the land and massacre the people is enough to answer them.

What is important now is the question why there are attacks against YBŞ forces while ISIS is still present, and why the children of Shengal are asked to leave Shengal. KDP authorities must develop sufficient and correct answers to these questions. Otherwise, just like AKP, they will continue to be counted among the forces in cooperation with ISIS.