74th genocide: Shengal, end of genocide history; start of Yazidi Community struggle

The occupation of Mosul by ISIS/ Daesh mercenaries in June 2014 was the point when things changed, and it made possible the Shengal district attack. ISIS acquired weapons and military materials in large numbers and declared its so-called caliphate on June 29, 2014.

A few weeks later, on August 3, 2014, at dawn, ISIS mercenaries attacked Shengal with a large force and committed genocide on the Yazidi community, the 74th genocide in their history. The Yazidis see this genocide as the final stage in the "decrees" they had been suffering in history, calling it "the seventy-fourth decree".

The Yazidis...a long history of persecution

Yazidis are recognized as one of the indigenous elements of Kurdistan, where, through many centuries, they were exposed to killings, displacements, and genocide as a result of their religion.

A large number of the Yazidis live in Southern Kurdistan, inside the federal Iraqi Kurdistan region boundaries, in particular in Shengal district of Nineveh province.

Based on the Yazidi story, they were exposed to 74 resolutions threatening their religious and national existence, from 906 till 2014.

It is not only about killings and displacements, but it was also about targeting their religious faith, shrines, and sacred sites, which resulted in the crime of genocide committed against them on August 3, 2014, as the most distinguished crimes against humanity in the contemporary period, based on the United Nations.

The dawn of August 3rd... The beginning of the genocide

Around 2:00 AM on the night of August 3, 2014, the mercenaries of ISIS began their attack through shelling the villages of Gerzik and Siba Sheikh Khader using mortars. In no time at all, this attack expanded to other areas within the district of Shengal.

With the help of heavy weapons, the mercenaries made their advance and managed to take possession of villages and towns. On the other hand, Peshmerga forces from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) left the area, making tens of thousands of Yazidi civilians vulnerable to the genocide.

Right from the beginning of the attack, the mercenaries started killing hundreds of men in mass shootings and kidnapping women and children. Thousands of residents had to leave their houses, according to ANHA's agency.

Women and children… the main victims of the attack.

The Shengal attack is not a military attack that targets a certain geographic location; on the contrary, international sources report that it was a genocide attack on the Yazidi community.

The ISIS mercenaries kidnapped around seven thousand Yazidi women and children. Women were enslaved, subjected to rape and violence, and sold in slave markets. Women were forced to convert another religion, tortured for months and subjected to abuse, and some died trying to escape from kidnapping.

The mercenaries also attacked Yazidi shrines, and many were destroyed in an attempt to eliminate the identity of the Yazidi community.

Shengal Mountain: shelter for the displaced

During the escalation of the offensive, many thousands of Yazidis took shelter on the Shengal Mountain, whereas some 390,000 individuals were displaced from their homes.

Tens of thousands of civilians remained trapped on the slope of the mountain due to the lack of food, medicine, and water. Many children, elderly people, and the sick died of thirst, hunger, and exhaustion because of their displacement.

The humanitarian corridor and liberation of the displaced

When the genocide was ongoing in the Sinjar region, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) came to the rescue following the distress calls to the Sinjar region through Tel Kocher.

Moreover, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) declared that the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) will be sent to Shengal for the protection of the civilians and their liberation.

Through this humanitarian corridor, many thousands of civilians were allowed to leave the region safely. Due to this humanitarian corridor, some 150,000 Yazidis were freed, while simultaneously many members of Yazidi community started to organize themselves for the defense of their regions from ISIS terrorists.

After the genocide – The Self-Defense project

The genocide against the Yazidi people on August 3, 2014, constituted a key point in the history of Sinjar. The Yazidi community felt compelled to create a self-defense project on the basis of the idea that only through the formation of a local force, the community could ensure safety and prevent another genocide in the future.

On August 6 and 7, 2014, the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and the Shengal Women's Units (YJŞ) came into existence. Both the units together with the other participating forces in the battle against ISIS took upon themselves the duty to defend Shengal and contribute to its safety.

Both the units since then became an inseparable part of the Shengal defense system, helping to create the security of the area, while the Yazidi community was building up its civil and security services.

A resistance that lasted for more than a year

With the occupation of large areas of Shengal district by ISIS mercenaries, there was a phase of military resistance in which YBŞ (Shengal Resistance Units), YJŞ (Shengal Women's Units), HPG (People’s Defense Forces), YJA-Star (Free Women's Units), YPG (People's Protection Units) and YPJ (Women's Protection Units) participated. The Peshmerga forces were later engaged in the battle from various fronts.

The military operations went on for more than a year with the battles taking place against ISIS mercenaries and resulting in the liberation of the villages and towns occupied by the organization.

Shengal Liberation

On November 13, 2015, the total liberation of Shengal from the ISIS mercenaries was declared, marking the end of the last military campaign launched to liberate the areas controlled by them.

Liberation of Shengal has become a historic moment for the region; thousands of displaced families started returning home. Many women and children were saved from the captivity of the ISIS mercenaries. Nonetheless, the traces of genocide and devastation persist in Shengal with the ongoing searches for the missing people and mass graves.

Genocide and crimes against humanity

The crimes committed by ISIS mercenaries against the Yazidi nation are acknowledged as genocide and crimes against humanity internationally. On June 15, 2016, the report of the UN Human Rights Council stated that the crimes conducted by the ISIS mercenaries against the Yazidis were an act of genocide, implying systematic killing, enslaving, rape, abduction, forced religious conversion, child enlistment, and the list of other crimes that took place during the invasion of Shengal.

Afterwards, in many European countries, including Germany, the trials against ISIS mercenaries were launched with court decisions rendered in some cases concerning the genocide of Yazidis.

Casualties of the genocide

Based on the official statistics from the Autonomous Administration of Shengal, the casualties of the genocide were: "A total of at least 2,213 deaths, the displacement of more than 390,000 persons from their original place of residence, the abduction of about 7,000 women and children, the rescue of almost 4,000 abducted persons, the ongoing disappearance of an estimated 3,000 women and children up until now, the discovery of at least 12 mass graves, and the destruction of 68 places of worship."

Mass graves searches and other relevant authorities' efforts are being conducted alongside legal measures that are trying to hold the perpetrators of the crime responsible and prevent the recurrence of such actions.

Historical decrees targeting the Yazidis

Based on the historical Yazidi narrative, the Yazidis have, for over a millennium, continuously been subjected to military expeditions, massacres, and forcible deportations of their religious and societal identity in their places of concentration, referred to as "decrees." Historical records point to numerous military expeditions conducted by various powers, while the Yazidi account shows that these reached up to 74 decrees, the most recent being the genocide conducted by ISIS mercenaries on August 3, 2014.

The following are the major firmans in chronological order: 

906 AD: The Hamdanid governor of Mosul killed thousands of Yazidi families after they refused to renounce their faith. 

1221 AD: Sheikh Hassan was abducted and executed, while Yazidi shrines and holy sites were burned after Yazidis fled to the mountainous regions. 

1254 AD: Badr al-Din Lu'lu', the ruler of Mosul, launched a campaign against the Sheikhan region, resulting in the killing of thousands of Yazidis. 

1415 AD: The Yazidis were subjected to a massacre carried out by their Muslim neighbors. 

1640–1641 AD: The Ottoman governor of Omed, Melek Pasha, led a military campaign against Shengal with around 70,000 soldiers, ending in a massacre of the Yazidis. 

1647–1648 AD: The governor of Van, Shams Pasha, launched another campaign targeting Sheikhan. Sheikh Mirza was captured and executed. 

1715 AD: The Ottoman governor of Baghdad, Hassan Pasha, attacked Shengal, killing large numbers of Yazidis before handing control of the region over to Arab Bedouin tribes. 

1733–1734 AD: Ahmad Pasha led another Ottoman campaign against Shengal, resulting in another massacre. 

1752–1753 AD: Forces led by Suleiman Pasha attacked Shengal, killing large numbers of Yazidis and destroying villages and sacred shrines. Ottoman forces remained in the area for nearly two years. 

1767–1768 AD: The governor of Mosul, Amin Pasha, ordered his son to lead a military campaign against Shengal, resulting in another massacre of Yazidis. 

1770–1771 AD: During Prince Badaq's resistance to Ottoman rule in Sheikhan, Yazidis in the region were subjected to another massacre. 

1773–1774 AD: Amin Pasha, the governor of Mosul, ordered the burning and destruction of the Shengal region, leading to further massacres. 

1779 AD: The brother of the governor of Mosul led another military campaign against Shengal, in which large numbers of Yazidis were killed. 

1785 AD: The governor of Mosul, Abd al-Baqi, launched an attack on Yazidis in the Dandandi area east of the Tigris River. 

1786–1787 AD: After Prince Jolo of Sheikhan was defeated by the governor of Amadiya, Yazidis faced another wave of massacres. 

1789–1790 AD: The Arab Bedouin Tayy tribe attacked Sheikhan, carrying out a massacre against the Yazidis. 

1790–1792 AD: The Tayy tribe launched another attack on Shengal. 

1792–1793 AD: The governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha, ordered the burning and destruction of eight Yazidi villages in Shengal. 

1793–1794 AD: The same governor launched another campaign targeting Shengal and the Mehirikan region. 

1794–1795 AD: Forces led by Suleiman Pasha, dispatched from Baghdad, burned and looted the Shengal region and carried out massacres against its inhabitants. 

1799–1800 AD: Abdul Aziz Beg, backed by the Tayy, Ubaid, and Hamdan tribes, led an attack on Sheikhan during which 25 Yazidi villages were burned and completely destroyed. 

19th Century Firmans: Escalating Military Campaigns Against the Yazidis 

1802–1803 AD: Ali Pasha, the governor of Mosul, attacked Shengal. The siege lasted several months, during which dozens of Yazidis were killed. Farmland was devastated, and trees were burned or cut down. 

1809–1810 AD: The governor of Baghdad, Suleiman Pasha, dispatched a force under the command of officer Hussein Dubalyan, which attacked Shengal, looted villages, and carried out a massacre against the Yazidis. 

1832 AD: Bedir Khan Beg, the Emir of Botan, launched an attack on the Sheikhan region, killing large numbers of Yazidis. Those who fled toward Mount Shengal were ambushed along the banks of the Tigris River; many were killed, while others drowned attempting to cross. 

Twelve years later, Badr Khan Beg launched another campaign against the Yazidis of Tur Abdin (the Midyat region), forcing many to convert to Islam, while those who refused were executed. 

1832–1834 AD: Mir Muhammad of Rawanduz attacked the Yazidis in Aqra and later in the Upper Zap region. In 1834, he launched a campaign against Shengal, committing a massacre and executing Prince Ali Beg after he refused to renounce his faith. 

1836 AD: Rashid Pasha, the governor of Amed, led an army of around 40,000 soldiers, including Ottoman troops and allied Kurdish forces. The campaign targeted areas east of Amed and Kharzan before extending to Cizre, Botan, Tal Afar, and Shengal. Thousands of Yazidis were killed, and hundreds were taken captive. 

1838 AD: Hafiz Pasha, Rashid Pasha's successor, launched another campaign against Shengal. Several Yazidi men were killed, while women and children were captured and taken to Amed. 

Mid-19th Century: Continued Campaigns 

1846 AD: In October, Tayyar Pasha, the governor of Mosul, launched a military campaign against Shengal, burning and destroying numerous villages. 

1853–1856 AD: During the Ottoman–Crimean War, hundreds of Yazidis in Siirt and the border regions were killed after supporting Yezdan Sher's uprising. Most survivors were forced to convert to Islam, while others fled through northern Iran to Armenia. 

1856 AD: Yazidis joined several Dersim tribes in an uprising against the Ottoman Empire. After the revolt failed, they were subjected to widespread campaigns of killing. 

1872 AD: Baghdad governor Midhat Pasha ordered the Yazidis of Sheikhan to perform military service in the Ottoman army. When they refused, the authorities declared them rebels, attacked the region, and burned villages. 

1877 AD: A new attack on Yazidis in Amed and Karzan displaced around 3,000 Yazidis. 

1879–1897 AD: More than 15,000 Yazidis were forced to flee or were exiled to the Caucasus region. 

1890 AD: Ottoman authorities launched an organized campaign against the Yazidis, resulting in the killing of hundreds and the displacement of large numbers of families. 

1892 AD: General Omar Wahbi Pasha issued a firman ordering the Yazidis to convert to Islam or another religion officially recognized by the Ottoman state, paving the way for one of the most violent campaigns ever carried out against the Yazidi community. 

Large numbers of Yazidis were killed during the campaign, while around 14,000 were forced to convert to Islam. 

The campaign also targeted the Lalish Temple, the holiest religious site in the Yazidi faith. Religious shrines were destroyed, and sacred artifacts and symbols, including the Peacock Angel (Tawûs Melek) symbol were confiscated and taken first to Mosul and later to Istanbul. 

According to historical accounts, in 1967, a grandson of Omar Wahbi Pasha attempted to auction the symbol, but the Iraqi government objected, arguing that it was an archaeological artifact belonging to Iraq. 

Early 20th Century: Continued Persecution 

1911 AD: Ottoman forces under Faruq Pasha launched a campaign targeting the Yazidis, along with Armenians, Assyrians (Nestorians), and Qizilbash communities, as part of a broader series of military operations. 

1914–1918 AD: During the First World War, Yazidi accounts state that around 20,000 Armenians sought refuge in Shengal after fleeing the Armenian Genocide. In February 1918, the Yazidis themselves were subjected to another campaign involving Ottoman forces and local tribal groups, resulting in another massacre of Shengal's inhabitants. 

1918 AD: Yazidis who had fled Ottoman massacres and taken refuge in Armenia were subjected to further attacks after the end of the war. 

1940 AD: A military force attacked the village of Kiwakh, in the Hazal subdistrict of Mardin, arresting 29 Yazidis inside a cave before burning them alive. The village was later subjected to three additional attacks that claimed the lives of more residents. 

August 2007: Yazidis in the towns of Siba Sheikh Khidir and Til Ezer, in Shengal district, were targeted in coordinated attacks that, according to official figures, killed around 500 Yazidis. The attacks were among the deadliest against the Yazidi community before the 3 August 2014 genocide. 

Unrecorded Firmans 

According to the historical documents and accounts on which this report is based, the dates listed above represent the best-documented firmans. However, Yazidi oral tradition maintains that the community endured additional campaigns of persecution whose details were either never recorded in historical sources or were not documented accurately. 

Shengal After the Genocide: From Survival to Institution-Building 

Years after the genocide, its impact continues to shape Shengal on the humanitarian, social, and political levels. Efforts remain underway to locate missing persons, uncover mass graves, and bring those responsible for crimes against the Yazidis to justice. 

In 2015, the Founding Council of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of Shengal was established, a step its founders described as the beginning of organizing local governance after the liberation of large parts of the region. 

The Autonomous Administration later expanded to include local councils, service institutions, and community organizations, alongside the formation of local security forces responsible for maintaining security within Shengal. 

At the same time, the future of Shengal has remained a prominent issue in Iraqi politics, including questions surrounding the district's administrative status, the return of displaced residents, reconstruction, and guarantees against the recurrence of genocide. Representatives of the Yazidi community have also continued to call for recognition of their political and administrative will within the framework of the Iraqi state. 

ANHA