08/18/2021

Turkish airstrikes on Sinjar

Several victims in Yazidi settlement areas in Iraq

While the world is distracted by the dramatic developments in Afghanistan, Turkey started carrying out new airstrikes on Yazidi settlement areas in Iraq. According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), Islamist autocrat Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to destabilize Iraq even more. "Turkish fighter planes and drones have been carrying out airstrikes on the Yazidi settlement area of Sinjar in the north-west of the country for two days now. On Monday, at least two people got killed and three others were wounded," stated Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East Consultant of the STP in Göttingen.  

Many members of the Yazidi community are angry with the NATO governments for ignoring the new airstrikes of the Turkish army against the Yazidi minority. "The Iraqi airspace is largely controlled by the United States. Aircraft are not able to access this airspace without consent by the US – so it would be easy to put an end to the aggression," Sido said. "However, NATO is not willing to protect the religious minorities in Iraq from Turkey, just like the people in neighboring Syria." There, members of ethnic and religious minorities – such as Kurds, Assyro-Aramaeans, Armenians, Christians, Yazidis, and Alevis – are regularly attacked by Turkish troops or by their Islamist allies. "The attacks in Iraq are supposed to create a climate of fear, as a means to drive more and more people out of the region. This is how Erdogan wants to increase his sphere of influence," Sido explained. 

Against the background of the catastrophe in Afghanistan, the Turkish attacks are damaging the reputation of the NATO states – especially of the United States and Germany. The two countries are justifying and covering up the Turkish attacks, which are to be seen as violations of international law.

Said Hassan and Isa Khodeda were killed in the Turkish attacks, and Qasim Simo, Shamir Abbas Berjes, and Mirza Ali were wounded: Iraqi citizens of Yazidi faith who have been fighting so-called IS since 2014. At the time of the attack, they were in a car on their way to the center of Sinjar City. Yesterday, Turkish fighter planes apparently attacked a hospital in Sinjar.