ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish President Massoud Barzani vowed to “defend Shingal and our Yezidi brothers and sisters,” declaring that the Kurds would “not relinquish an inch of territory” to Islamic militants they are fighting in fierce battles.
Some 50,000 Kurdish Yezidi men, women and children – most residents of Shingal -- have been cowering for days atop an arid mountain on the outskirts of the town after fleeing an advance by Islamic State (IS/ISIS) militants.
At least 60 people – most of them children and the elderly – have died of hunger and thirst on Shingal Mountain, a Rudaw correspondent reported from the scene on Wednesday, as Peshmerga forces were locked in intense battles to push out IS from Shingal.
The religious zealots, who have already driven out Christians from their ancestral homes in northern Iraq – including Zumar -- have been especially targeting the Yezidis, a gentle community they consider to be “devil worshipers.”
“The recent developments in the areas of Zumar and Shingal and the tragedy that faced our Yezidi brothers and sisters are heartbreaking,” Barzani said in a statement.
“We reassure the people of Kurdistan that we will not relinquish an inch of the territory of Kurdistan and that we will dearly defend Shingal and our Yezidi brothers and sisters,” he vowed. “Shingal Mountain will continue to stand tall!”
Shingal, 211 kilometers west of Erbil, fell to the IS militants on Saturday.
Barzani also made a call to the Kurdish people, political parties and the media to stay united behind him.
The United Nations has called the situation in Shingal and other parts of Nineveh’s province “a humanitarian disaster.”
With no Iraqi forces left in those regions, the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters remain the only barrier between the militants and the Kurdish ethno-community of Yezidis and Christians in the province.
On Monday, Barzani ordered more than 10,000 Kurdish fighters into an offensive against IS, which has declared an Islamic Caliphate in captured territories in Iraq and Syria, with its capital in Mosul. Iraq’s second-largest city fell to the militants in June.
“I urge the people of Kurdistan, the political parties and the Kurdish media to treat the situation with utmost responsibility and to preserve national unity more than ever,” Barzani said.
Yezidi leaders have reported that over the past three days the militants have killed many from the community and taken 500 Yezidi women as hostages.
They have urged world leaders and humanitarian organizations to aid tens of thousands of civilians who have been displaced by the fighting and are at grave risk.
Barzani stressed that after IS captured Mosul in early June, “Kurdistan has only defended itself. However, the terrorists started to provoke and attack Kurdistan, resulting in the recent distressing incidents.
“Therefore, we decided to go beyond the defensive position and fight the terrorists to the last breath,” he explained. “We have ordered the Peshmerga forces to attack the terrorists and the enemies of the people and the land of Kurdistan with all their power.”
Peshmerga forces equipped with new heavy weapons opened a new front in their fight against IS, attacking the group in Mosul, its stronghold.
Some of the fiercest fighting between the Peshmerga and IS militants was reported in Gogjalil, outside Mosul.
The Peshmerga stepped up their fight against IS as they reported receiving new heavy weapons, apparent air support by the United States and the Iraqi air force and joint attacks with the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in Rojava, or Syrian Kurdistan.
Barzani stressed that “terrorism is a global issue and it requires an international response and effort to combat it.”
“We have always adhered to the principles of freedom and the genuine culture of coexistence and tolerance in Kurdistan, and this is our point of strength when it comes to attaining victory against our enemies and terrorists,” said Barzani.
Kurdistan, which shares a 1,000 kilometer border with land conquered by IS since they started their offensive two months ago, is the safest region in Iraq.
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