The fate of 50 Kurds still remains unknown since the killing of more than 700 Yezidi Kurds as a result of suicide attacks in the towns of Tılezer and Sibaşexıdır, in Şengal, on 14 August 2007.

The Yezidi people call the mass killing “73rd Massacre of Yezidis”. Four simultaneous suicide attacks, carried out with tankers loaded with bombs, also left hundreds of Kurds injured, with the whereabouts of some of them still being unknown. Families want to learn about the fate of their relatives who suffered injuries in the mass killing and were later allegedly taken by American soldiers in the area to Turkey, Europe and Arab countries “for treatment”.

ANF spoke to the families of 34 Kurd victims whom they have neither seen nor heard of since the massacre. Among the families of victims in the town of Tılezer, Navaf Süleyman says that he has investigated the incident for a long time, however reached no conclusion nor reached any information about their relatives. Süleyman says that he met some US officials and the head of the town six months after the massacre. "The head of the town told me that they had registered the injured as victims. I asked him why they did that, saying that we want to learn the truth on their fate", he said.

Süleyman, reminding of some TV reports which said that some of the injured had been taken to Turkey and Germany, called on the governments of U.S., Turkey, Germany and Arab countries to help them in their search for their relatives.

"More than 50 people are missing and we know they weren't killed in the suicide attacks. We want to have concrete information about where these people are being held. The reports we watched on TV said 22 of them had been taken to hospitals in Turkey, while another report said they were in Germany and Hewler (Erbil). We went to all these places but we could find out nothing about them", he said.

Gewre Xal, who lost her husband and three sons in the massacre, complains about knowing nothing about the fate of her family. "On the day of the incident, I saw my husband speaking on TV from Tılqeseb, saying that 'My name is Davut Çeto. We are four people from the same family. They cut my foot'. I don't know where they were taken to. My son was injured on the head, they took him to Duhok. We went after them and looked for them in all hospitals but we were told that Americans had taken them away. That day I also saw my husband on a paper, with a towel covering his head. One day later, we went to Americans and asked them about our families. They also said us that they didn't know where they were. Those people did nothing wrong, they were all poor people. We have been crying and looking for them everywhere for the last six years. We are waiting for an answer now".

Yusuf Şexo, whose 12 year-old son Heysem Yusuf was also injured in the attack, tells the followings about the day of the massacre, "My son was injured on the head. I took him to a hospital in Şengal where a doctor told me that he was still alive. He was given blood here. Then, at midnight, I took him to the American hospital where doctors said me that he died. We later searched and found out that he hadn't. I later went to Duhok with the help of an interpreter but I couldn't find him here either".

Şexo says that they are tired of hearing something new about their families every day. He urges relevant governments to give a straight answer about what happened to the people injured in the attacks.

All other families of victims voice the same demand, to learn the fate of their relatives.

Some of the names families disclosed to be missing are,
“Heysem Yusuf Şexo, Kerim Xelef Yusuf, Adil Kerim Xelef, Haci Cindi, Sait Qasim Cirdo, Selam Davut Çeto, İbrahim Xelil Çeto, Davut Çeto Xiro, Daxil Etto Çeto, Davut Bedel Kasım, Salim Şeref İlyas, Ömer İlyas Süleyman, Salih Sado, Süleyman Xelef Faris, Selam Naif Reşo, Xelef Yusuf Hesen, Hüseyin Yusuf Hesen, Ezdin Yusuf Hesen, Zed Yusuf Hesen, Hadi Hesen Murad, Xeyri Keso Xelef, Nevzat Kemal Keso, Evdi Murat Haci, Velit Murat Haci, Mervan İdo Reşo, Eziz Süleyman Navxweş, Davut Süleyman, Sami Sabri, Cemal Sabri, Xudeda Xıdır Şemo, Ali Nawxaş Ali, Serdar Ali Nawxaş, Fani Cirdu Serhan and Serbest Ali Nawxaş.

Yusuf Şexo asked anyone who knows about these names to call him on the number 009647503113796.