A drone attack attributed to the Turkish armed forces has killed a fighter from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) in the Yazidi homeland of Sinjar (Shengal) in northern Iraq.
The attack took place in the Til Ezer district, near a checkpoint manned by the YBŞ. Despite initial reports of serious injuries, the YBŞ later confirmed the death of its fighter Majdal Faqir.
The attack is part of an ongoing series of bombings in the region, with the YBŞ accusing Turkey of carrying out these attacks at a time when displaced Yazidis are returning home, with the intention of destabilising the area and undermining the Yazidi community and its defence forces.
This incident highlights the complex web of local, regional and international dynamics affecting Sinjar, an area already deeply scarred by conflict and the genocidal campaign of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.
The YBŞ statement emphasised the perceived continuity of aggression against the Yazidis, describing it as an ‘extension of genocide’ and a direct attack on their rights to self-defence and self-governance.
The group vowed to continue its defence of Sinjar, denouncing the attacks as cowardly and reaffirming its commitment to achieving self-rule for the region.
YBŞ also alleged external pressure and electoral interference by the Turkish government in the disputed region of Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq, particularly in the Sinjar constituency, in order to achieve “its efforts to implement a policy of annihilation”.