The General Assembly of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) issued a statement regarding the Turkish state's drone attack that killed Shengal Executive Council Co-Chair Merwan Bedel.

The statement said: "Simultaneously with the brutal attacks of ISIS against our people in Bashur Kurdistan, the Turkish state, under the leadership of the AKP-MHP alliance, continues its attacks to destroy the Kurdish people. The targeting of Shengal Democratic Autonomous Administration Executive Council Co-Chair Merwan Bedel in Xanesor was the latest of these attacks.

Martyr Merwan Bedel was one of the founders of the Shengal Democratic Autonomous Administration and one of those who fought hard to defend the Yazidi people. With a unique struggle, he worked until the last moment to protect our people from genocide. He fought against ISIS atrocities in Shengal."

The statement continued: "The insistence of Turkish fascism to exterminate the Kurdish people makes our people's insistence on living in their own ancient lands even greater. The silence of the international community about such attacks means that they approve of them.

As the PYD General Assembly, we invite the international public and democratic institutions to take action against the planned massacre policy of the Turkish state. We also call on the governments of Bashur Kurdistan and Iraq to fulfil their responsibilities towards the people of Shengal. We demand Iraq to be held accountable for the crimes of the Turkish state which are in violation of Iraq's territorial sovereignty."