Defectors: Attack on Xanasor ordered by leaders of Başur

Former militants of Leşekere Roj confirmed that the attack Xanasor district was issued by high commanders in Başur (Southern Kurdistan) for igniting Kurdish infighting.

3 March, 2021 05:21

Newsdesk - Ahmed Mohamed

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Xanasor attack in March 2017, when Xanasor district of Şengal district was attacked in Başur Kurdistan.

A glimpse

Xanasor is located northwest of Mount Sinjar and 12 km from the Iraqi-Syrian border, it is populated by 35,000 of the Yazidi religious minority according to the Iraqi ration cards in the region. On August 3, 2014, its residents were forcibly displaced by the ISIS mercenaries.

In light of that attack, the people of the district, and other regions in Şengal in Başur Kurdistan, suffered from genocide, displacement, and looting, after the KDP forces fled on the orders of the Başur Kurdistan leadership.

The district was liberated in November of the same year after the intervention of the People's Protection Units and Women and the Peoples' Defense Forces (YPG, YPJ and HPG) and opened safe and humanitarian corridors to reach Rojava areas. The Yazidi fighters also participated in the military operations under the Şengal Protection Units (YBŞ) that were formed later.

The events, March 2017

On March 3, 2017, in the early morning, the district and YPG, YPJ, HPG and YBŞ were attacked by gunmen of Leşekere Roj promoted factions of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, for 4 consecutive days, in an effort to control the district.

The defector from the armed groups, Shukri Roj Ahmed Yousef Ahmed, said in this context and about the attack, "From the beginning, the military leaders of başûr Kurdistan ordered our forces to move towards the Syrian-Iraqi border to limit the crossing of ISIS elements and their weapons to both sides, but upon our arrival it became clear that we were deceived, as there are other goals. "

He added: "The goal was centered on attacking Xanasor and the military forces there, and our movement came on the orders of başûr, because these forces were linked to the government of Başûr."

He continued, "I was a witness when the military leaders of Basur Kurdistan spoke to us of their intention to enter battles with the YPG and guerrillas to recontrol the district."

A video clip monitoring these events showed that fighters in the HPG intercepted an armored military personnel carrier and pushed it to the rear, without using weapons. However, the armored vehicle from armed elements of the Kurdistan Democratic Party deliberately killed the HPG fighters.

The defector, Ahmed explained that attacking the HPG with armored vehicles and running over the fighters, despite their efforts to prevent a clash, was carried out on the orders of two military leaders in Başur.

Who attacked Xanasor?

And the KDP-affiliated forces and the other to Turkey participated in the attack, according to Ahmed, who said, "In fact, there are many forces that attacked, including" Leşekere Roj, the first special forces, (Zirvani), Leşekere Gulan. " The Farman Forces of Dohuk, and the Turkish Intelligence.

He added, all of them were working under the military forces in Başur, and they all worked under the LR in an effort by the leadership of başûr and the Turkish MIT, to fabricate Kurdish infighting, despite the withdrawal of Shukri from the operation after learning the truth about the goal of this operation.

He said: "The goal is to consolidate the control of the Turkish MIT over LR through the military leadership of the KRG, to prevent their return to their homes for their interests, continuously to stir up sedition and defame the Rojava forces and HPG."

With the start of the attack, thousands of Yazidis headed to the points of contact between the two sides, and entered the trenches that the attacking forces had dug and took cover for them to attack, in order to prevent any fighting or any advance of the attacking forces, but despite their peacefulness, they exposed the masses to live bullets and tear gas.

Regarding the attack, the defector from the armed group who witnessed that attack the house Omar Shibli, said: “In fact, we regret what happened. We could do nothing, but we could not decide."

He added, "As the demonstrators flocked to the contact points, dozens of LR fighters saw their relatives and families among the demonstrators, and with our rejection of this fighting as fighters, the KRG leaders brought their own forces, especially in Turkey, to suppress the demonstrators under the name of LR forces."

He said, "I was a witness to the suppression against our Yazidi people and Rojava demonstrators, and how live bullets were fired at the demonstrators, and they were suppressed with tear gas, as well as the injury of a Kurdish journalist, but the control of leaders in the Basur forces over the leadership of our forces, we were not able to move in a manner opposite".

The attack on the mass demonstrations at these contact points led to the martyrdom of the journalist of the Sojin Women's Agency, Nojian Orhan.

The attack also led to the death of 8 fighters from the Şengal protection units, Asayîş of Şengal, and civilians, and wounding dozens, during their attempts to repel the attacking forces, despite the unwillingness of the fighters of the Şengal protection units since the beginning of the attack and the provocations to clash with those forces, and to remain in the position of defenders and deter those attacks.

(A)

ANHA