Shengal’s liberation: heroism of resistance, challenges of Autonomous Administration 

On November 13, 2015, the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) and the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), alongside the Women’s Protection Units – Shengal (YJŞ), succeeded in fully liberating the city, ending more than a year of occupation by ISIS mercenaries who had carried out genocide against the Yazidi community following their attack on the district on August 3, 2014.

Shengal’s liberation was the result of strong organization adopted by the Yazidis after the attack, in defiance of the massacres and abductions that targeted women and children.

During that ordeal, the People’s Defense Forces from the mountains of Kurdistan, together with the People’s and Women’s Protection Units from Rojava, opened a humanitarian corridor through Mount Shengal, rescuing tens of thousands of besieged civilians in one of the largest humanitarian operations in modern history.

Later, the sons and daughters of Shengal formed their own resistance units (YBŞ and YJŞ) to liberate their villages and defend their land, becoming symbols of the Yazidis’ will to determine their own destiny and protect their community.

Since then, the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Iraqi army have repeatedly attempted to enter Shengal, leading to the martyrdom and injury of several Yazidis who resisted these incursions and insisted on defending their region through their own Autonomous Administration.

Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s Vision

Leader Abdullah Ocalan has repeatedly emphasized that the future of the Yazidi community depends on the establishment of a democratic entity that represents its will and identity, warning of the dangers surrounding Shengal and its people.

He called for adherence to the principle of self-defense and for strengthening the project of autonomous administration as the genuine guarantee for the Yazidis’ survival in the face of genocide and occupation.

In his “Call for Peace and Democratic Society,” Leader Ocalan stated that the democratic project is the practical response to the seventy-three massacres committed against the Yazidis, adding:

“For their sake, the renaissance began, and it must continue through the will and self-organization of the peoples.”

In a message to the educational conference held in Shengal on July 17, 2025, he wrote: “The Yazidi struggle today represents a guiding light for us all. Their voice is the voice of those who thirst for freedom. Thus, protecting the Yazidi people based on preserving their essence is a stance born of human conscience.

It is the natural right of the Yazidis to establish their own system so they may live freely, with their identity and faith intact. Authoritarian states and narrow nationalist concepts deny this right; therefore, a system based on equality and the brotherhood of peoples is essential, one in which they can govern themselves.”

Autonomous Administration in Shengal

Based on this concept, the people of Shengal began establishing their own autonomous administration, starting with a founding council in 2015, to organize society from the grassroots upward through councils and civil institutions. This administration became a guarantee of stability and legitimate defense after the severe experiences the Yazidis had endured when left without protection.

Despite challenges, Shengal’s institutions managed to restore essential services, even amid neglect by both the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. They also contributed to reorganizing social life in the liberated villages and towns.

Policies Hostile to Shengal’s Will

Since the establishment of the Autonomous Administration, Shengal has faced political and military pressure from several sides—most notably the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Iraqi federal government, and the Turkish occupying state. The KDP has been accused of imposing blockades and restrictions on Shengal’s residents, as well as of obstructing the federal government’s recognition of the administration under Turkish influence.

The Shengal Agreement, signed on October 9, 2020, between the KDP and the Iraqi government under the pretext of “organizing security and administrative affairs in Shengal,” sparked outrage among the Yazidis, who viewed it as a new decree of extermination disguised as law. They declared their rejection of any agreement that disregards their autonomous will.

The pressures did not stop there. Before and after the agreement, Shengal was subjected to repeated Turkish airstrikes beginning in April 2017, alongside incursions by the Iraqi army.

Enduring Will Despite Threats

Since 2015, the Yazidis have regarded their liberation from ISIS as the beginning of a long path toward Autonomous Administration and the recognition of their rights.

Despite ongoing external threats, the Resistance Units and the Êzidxan Asayish Forces have continued to maintain the region’s stability and prevent the return of terrorism, supported by growing popular awareness of the importance of organization and self-defense.

In the same message sent by Leader Ocalan to the Shengal educational conference, he said:

“Everyone must realize that the Yazidis are not alone. They have endured seventy-three massacres until this day. With the march for peace and the democratic society we are pursuing, no more massacres will occur. The era of genocides is over. Their existence represents a matter of dignity for all those who strive for peace and fraternity in this geography.”

Thus, between the symbolism of liberation and the challenges of the present, Shengal remains a beacon of resistance and free will.

The Yazidis have paid a heavy price to reach the point of owning their destiny, and today they affirm that the liberation of land is not complete without the liberation of will.

A-H 

ANHA