The General Command of People’s Defense Units (YPG) released a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the brutal ISIS onslaught and mass slaughter in the Yazidi town of Shengal (Sinjar) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

“As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of this tragedy, we honor the memory of those who lost their lives and the brave freedom fighters who sacrificed themselves to save our Yazidi brethren,” said the YPG statement on Saturday, which further included the following:

“The Yazidis have preserved the most ancient Kurdish traditions and maintained their identity through the ages. Historically subjected to numerous massacres, the Yazidis encountered the most brutal atrocity on August 3rd. During this horrific event orchestrated by ISIS, thousands of Yazidis were murdered, and thousands more, predominantly women and children, were abducted and sold in slave markets. The massacre involved many forces collaborating with ISIS, making those who planned and executed it equally culpable. Additionally, those who failed to defend the Yazidi people and ignored the massacre share in the responsibility for this atrocity. The perpetrators of this genocide must be held accountable and tried in international courts.

While the Yazidis were being massacred by ISIS under the world’s watchful eye, the international community remained silent. It was the Kurdish freedom guerrillas who first intervened to stop this atrocity, followed by our YPG-YPJ forces, who rescued our people from annihilation. It is crucial to recognize that the attack on the Yazidi people was an attack on humanity itself. The resistance of the freedom fighters halted ISIS’ savagery and spared humanity from a great catastrophe.

After failing in Shengal, the occupying forces shifted their focus to Western Kurdistan (Rojava) to avenge their defeat. The resistance of the YPG-YPJ rendered ISIS ineffective in Rojava, showcasing the resilient spirit of the Kurdish people to the world.

Despite their defeat, the genocidal forces continued their attacks on our people through different means. The Turkish state, unable to accept ISIS’ defeat, has repeatedly attacked the Yazidi community in Shengal vengefully. These assaults have resulted in the deaths of dozens of Yazidis and fighters. With these attacks, the Turkish state seeks to complete the Yazidi genocide. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of significant response from international powers to these ongoing assaults, which are a continuation of the ISIS massacre. The Turkish state poses a grave threat to all Middle Eastern peoples, particularly the Yazidis. We call on all international powers and regional states to stand against these genocidal attacks by the Turkish state.

As the YPG, the people’s defense forces, we reaffirm our commitment to defending our people as we did in the past. Our stance against any attack on the Yazidi community is unequivocal. Just as we defended the Yazidis ten years ago, we are fully prepared today to protect our people with all our might.

On the 10th anniversary of the Shengal massacre, we once again honor the memory of those who lost their lives and the brave freedom fighters who sacrificed themselves to protect our community. We pledge to uphold the legacy of our martyrs and to continue safeguarding our people against any and all threats.”