IRAQ – TURKEY Turkish airstrikes block the return of Yazidi refugees

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Over the past four years, some 80 Yazidi civilians have become “collateral damage” from Erdogan’s bombing of the PKK. Around 350,000 Yazidis remain internally displaced and more than 100,000 have left Iraq. For the activist, Sinjar “is turning into a war zone” and the population “suffering in unimaginable conditions in camps for the displaced”.

Erbil (AsiaNews) – Yazidi refugees have been prevented from returning home following repeated and indiscriminate attacks by Turkish aircraft across the border in northern Iraq, including Kurdish areas .

Under the pretext of attacking the bases of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Turkish Air Force has been shelling the Sinjar region for some time, causing serious damage and making the whole area unstable.

As a result, representatives of the Yazidi community called on the international community to provide protection against Erdogan’s bombs.

Since 2017, some 80 Yazidis have been victims of “collateral damage” from Turkish airstrikes against PKK targets in Iraq where many of its fighters have taken refuge. Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization.

Many Yazidis “did not leave Sinjar despite all the tragedy that befell them”, said Yazidi leader Saad Hamo. al-Monitor, an information website. “We are looking for other ways to convince those who remain in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) IDP camps to return.”

Some 350,000 Yazidis are displaced inside Iraq and more than 100,000 have left the country permanently. Members of this religious group suffered the most under the Islamic State yoke (IS), when the jihadist group ruled parts of Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017, before its military defeat and the liberation of most of the territories it controlled.

One of the latest Turkish air raids took place on February 2, when planes hit several positions on Mount Sinjar controlled by local Yazidi People’s Mobilization Units (PMUs), not the PKK.

Iraq has repeatedly condemned Turkish military operations on its territory, but has so far failed to stop Turkish attacks and aggression.

Today, Yazidi leaders spoke out against the violence, demanding an end to military operations and guarantees for a safe return to their homes; otherwise, their presence and their future in Iraq will be “in danger”.

Many already believe that a safe and dignified life in the country is “impossible” today, especially in the Sinjar region.

For activist Murad Ismail, founder of the Sinjar Academy, the community is “losing hope”. According to him, “this is the direct result of the failure of Iraq and the international community to create a safe space for our people to recover from the genocide” committed by the Islamic State.

“Instead of creating hope for a deeply traumatized community and instead of healing our wounds and bringing justice to the lost lives of 10,000 Yazidis, Sinjar is turning into a war zone.

“More than half of our people are still suffering in unimaginable conditions in displacement camps and may never be able to return.”

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