ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told Shingal residents that the “Yazidi tragedy” should never be repeated during a visit on Monday, state media has reported.
“Today we are among you to remember the crimes of ISIS, and the pain it caused, but this pain will strengthen us in the face of terrorism, just as it will strengthen the blood ties between all Iraqis,” Kadhimi was cited as saying in a state media report on Tuesday, saying his comments come amid fears of an Islamic State (ISIS) resurgence in areas it once controlled.
“Nothing will deter us from building our country, and respecting its political, ethnic, and religious diversity,” the PM said.
Kadhimi also added that the atrocities towards the Yazidis shall never be repeated, adding “the state will defend its sons, and Yazidis as Iraqi citizens, Iraqi blood has never been cheap.”
The PM paid a rare visit to Shingal on Monday, visiting mass graves in Kocho, where almost the entirety of the male population was slaughtered by ISIS militants.
On August 3, 2014, ISIS militants took over the district of Shingal, committing genocide against the Yazidi minority. Thousands fled their homes as the militants systematically killed men and older women, and enslaved younger women and children.
On August 15 of the same year, the residents of Kocho village were gathered at a local school before being separated, with almost all of the village’s men shot, boys forced to become child soldiers, and women and girls sold into sexual slavery.
In the first days of the genocide, 1,293 people were killed and 6,417 people were abducted. Today, 2,760 people are still missing, according to statistics from the NGO Joint Help for Kurdistan.
In March, the Iraqi parliament passed a law that offers reparations for women who suffered under ISIS. The law applies to Yazidis and other ethnic and religious minorities.
In October, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and federal Iraqi government signed an agreement on governance and security in the disputed district.
The deal “ends the authority of intruding groups and paves the way for the reconstruction of the city and the full return of its people,” a spokesperson for Kadhimi tweeted at the time.
Kadhimi’s visit to the district came after on August 2, in a pre-recorded message as part of a conference hosted by Yazda, he pledged to visit Shingal “soon” and said more will be done for the community, acknowledging that the October agreement “is not enough.”
Although Shingal was liberated in 2015, much of the area still lies in ruins. Other parts of the district have scarce facilities, including hospitals and schools.
Armed groups vying for control of the strategic area has also been cited as a factor preventing Yazidis from returning home.
Just hours before his visit, a senior Yazidi militia commander was killed in a Turkish airstrike in the centre of Shingal city.
