The assault on Nineveh plains and Shingal region

On August 2014, following the capture of Mosul city by ISIS, Nineveh Plains and Shingal region faced similar threat and they had been controlled by ISIS following the retreat of Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces which lead to the massive exodus of Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people from Nineveh Plains and the Yazidis from Shingal and later faced genocide, killings, and abductions.

From the 2003 onward, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people had been target of islamist terror organisations in different parts of Iraq and reducing their numbers significantly. During the years, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian religious, political leaders, churches, institutions and students had been target of attacks, killings, harassments and ransom payments. In various cities of Iraq major migration took place and people left their homes, properties.

The arrival of ISIS to the Nineveh Plains and Shingal region in 2014 marks another deeply traumatic and grave period for the indigenous entities in these regions. While Christians left Mosul imminently followed by Nineveh Plains towns and villages, Yazidi people face tremendous violence at the hands of ISIS notably kidnapping of women which continue until today. Four years later, Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people of Nineveh Plains still dream to return to their land under the danger of demographic change and maintenance of security and basic services.

Despite recognition of ISIS atrocities as genocide by some international institutions namely European Union and US Government, there are still much to undertake in order to provide safe return of the native people to their lands. Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people of Nineveh Plains demands self government and safe zone in order to secure their survival in the long term.

As European Syriac Union, ESU, we will continue to work with our partner organisations in Iraq and Europe and with Yazidi organisations to demand justice and the fundamental rights of our people.