“The invading genocidal Turkish army carried out an airstrike in Shingal at 12:10 today. The attack was directed at a military vehicle and resulted in death and injuries,” the YBS said in the statement, reported by ANF.
They later said in a separate statement on Twitter that Hassan and his cousin and YBS fighter Isa Khwededa were killed in the attack. Three civilians - Medya Qasim Simo, Shamir Abbas and Mirza Ali - were injured as well, they added.
“This is not the first time such fascist and genocidal attacks by the Turkish state against Yazidis take place,” read the statement, adding that their senior commander, Zaki Shingali was also assassinated by Ankara on August 15, 2018 in a similar way.
Turkey considers the YBS as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey which carries out regular military campaigns against the group at home and in northern Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region.
Nadine Maenza, the head of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned the attack in a tweet. “Turkey's continued targeting of Yazidis should be condemned by the US & intl community,” she said.
Turkey has not commented on the attack yet but it occasionally carries out such attacks against the YBS in Shingal.
The Monday attack coincides with Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s rare visit to Shingal, which is known for the 2014 abduction and killing of Yazidis by the Islamic State (ISIS). Several armed forces affiliated to the Iraqi government, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), PKK, and Hashd al-Shaabi are present in Shingal. The district is among the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.
Kadhimi told reporters in Shingal that they have launched an investigation into the attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that they will continue attacking Shingal as long as the PKK fighters are present there.
Turkey currently conducts two military campaigns against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region. Beginning in April, it has caused scores of casualties from the PKK, Turkish army and civilians.
