ANF – DERİK 09.08.2014
The occupation of the Sinjar city by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) gangs on 3 August forced thousands of people to flee their homes and lands.
Thousands of Yezidis in the city crossed into West Kurdistan with the help of People’s Protection Units (YPG). 700 among them have joined the ranks of West Kurdistan’s YPG forces, and taken their way back to their city to defend their people and to protect their lands. They spoke to ANF about their thoughts and feelings before taking their way to the Sinjar city.
Seid Ebdella: We will fight against ISIS in response to what they did to our lands, children and women. Our brothers from the YPG have given us arms. Today is the day to defend our honor.
Welid Ömer (from Sinjar’s Xana Sor village): Our children died of thirst on the Mount Sinjar. Our people can’t find a slice of bread to eat. I am going to fight for those people. We are going to liberate Sinjar and bring our people back to our city.
Sami Şemo Şengali: Battle against ISIS is a moral fight. I myself was working in Suleymaniyah. When I heard the news, I decided to come to Rojava and to join YPG forces.
After ISIS entered Sinjar, our people asked for arms from the peshmerga who however didn’t give any. The gangs took my uncle, his wife and children away. They gathered many women together and took all of them to Telafer. It was only PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) fighters that helped us.
Cemal Şengali: Peshmerga didn’t help us in any way. We had our arms to protect Sinjar but peshmerga took them from us, saying that they would protect us. They however left us and just went when the battle began, telling us that they had no order to fight. Is this what humanity means? How could they ever do this to their Kurdish brothers?
İlyas: My mother, my uncle’s wife, they are all captive but hopefully Taw’us Melké and the PKK will come to their rescue and we will go to the Mount Sinjar and liberate the people and the city. 500 fighters have gone there so far and we are going to accompany them now.
Salih Şengali: Together with our brothers in the PKK, we will go Sinjar and liberate it. We may die there but we will not give up the fight until our people are liberated.
Sami Şengali: They took children from their mothers and killed them all. Thousands of people in Sinjar are ready to defend their land together with the fighters of the YPG and PKK.
Pirmet (from the Dalka tribe in Reşo village): We came from Sinjar. The peshmerga left us there and the people were left without food and water on mountains. We thank the fighters of the PKK and all those who have helped us.
