YBŞ holds Iraqi army responsible for captive fighters' safety

The General Command of the Shengal Resistance Units announced that a group of their forces was ambushed in a premeditated attack while returning to the center of Shengal city by certain Iraqi army officers on March 18.

In a statement issued today, Thursday, the General Command said: "As everyone knows, on the night of March 18, at around 11:00 p.m., a faction of the Iraqi army launched a treacherous attack on a vehicle belonging to our forces in the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ). The attack resulted in the capture of five of our comrades. Despite some of them being assaulted and beaten, and the incident being filmed and shared publicly, their fate remains unknown to this day. Although we attempted to resolve the matter through dialogue with the army, these efforts have been met with no response.

As is well known, we have always approached problems in the region with responsibility, striving to find amicable solutions. Despite occasional disagreements, we have acted with a high level of responsibility, seeking logical solutions, which has prevented the escalation of many issues. We consider maintaining the security of our region far more important than minor disputes.

Despite the clarity of what happened, there have been statements from the army leadership describing our captured comrades as terrorists and mercenaries. This is completely unacceptable, and we reject these accusations outright.

Everyone knows that the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) are the force that defended and liberated Shengal from ISIS mercenaries and have since taken on the responsibility of securing Shengal. However, there are those who seek to tarnish the reputation of this dedicated and loyal force, distorting the truth for political purposes or under the influence of certain parties aiming to suppress any independent Yazidi will. Some questionable personal connections within certain military sectors, without the knowledge of their superiors, are driving these efforts. Therefore, no party has the right to label our forces as mercenaries or terrorists or to make false accusations against them or undermine their standing.

The public should know that our comrades, while performing their duties, were ambushed in a premeditated attack during their return to the center of Shengal. Their vehicles were surrounded, and they were directly fired upon. This incident resulted from a conspiracy and a coordinated plan by certain army officers in collaboration with a security institution.

We deny the false accusations against our comrades and clarify that they were not pursuing or arresting anyone. If there had been any issue, the leadership of the Shengal Resistance Units (YBŞ) could have been informed, and the matter would have been handled properly. Therefore, we reiterate that the claims and accusations made by these parties regarding this incident are baseless. It is illogical to suggest that we would abduct our own people when we could simply invite them to engage with us openly.

What the army did was not just an isolated incident; it was a serious act of betrayal. It is not a minor matter for our comrades to be surrounded and attacked in such a cowardly manner. Those who fought against ISIS mercenaries and helped secure the entry of Iraqi forces into Shengal safely are now being treated as criminals and threatened with prosecution.

We strongly condemn this attack and affirm that we cannot accept it under any circumstances. We demand the immediate release of our comrades and will take all necessary measures to secure their freedom. However, we prefer to resolve this crisis responsibly and without escalation.

Accordingly, we call on the responsible authorities in Iraq to act with wisdom and responsibility. At this point, the Iraqi army bears full responsibility for the lives and safety of our captured and injured comrades. To avoid any escalation, our comrades must be released immediately to prevent any serious consequences that may arise from this incident."

A-H

ANHA