Turkish aircraft attack YBS headquarters; 20 dead or injured
[Shingal, Ezidikhan, Iraq. 20 Nov, 2019] Turkish aircraft on Wednesday conducted an airstrike on the headquarters of the Sinjar Protection Units (YBS) in northern Iraq, leaving twenty militiamen killed and wounded according to the Iraqi military.
A statement by the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said the air strike was conducted on the headquarters of the Sinjar Protection Units (YBS), also known as Shingal (Sinjar) Resistance Units, in Khana Sor area near the town of Shingal.
The airstrike totally destroyed the headquarters, killing and wounding twenty of the YBS fighters, the statement said without giving further details.
“These crimes are part of an of ongoing war by Turkey against the Ezidikhan nation. These deadly attacks are taken very seriously by our Government. They will be investigated for possible war crime charges against Turkey.”
-Ezidikhan Minister of Justice Nallein Sowilo
The YBS is a Yazidi militia formed in Iraq in 2007 to protect the Yazidi community in Iraq, the group is operating in concert with People’s Defense Forces (HPG), which is the military wing of the PKK.
In a statement from the Government of Ezidikhan, Justice Minister Nallein Sowilo, pointing a finger at Turkey, said, “These crimes are part of an of ongoing war by Turkey against the Ezidikhan nation. These deadly attacks are taken very seriously by our Government. They will be investigated for possible war crime charges against Turkey.”
The PKK is seen by Turkey as a “terrorist” group, and the Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes and artillery bombardment against the positions in northern Iraq.
