By Nasir Ali

DUHOK, Kurdistan Region – Turkish fighter jets targeted a YBS convoy on August 15 while it was returning from the village of Kocho near Shingal. They were there to attend a commemoration of the notorious ISIS attack on the Yezidi village. The airstrike killed Zaki Shingali, a high-level PKK commander. Relations between the Yezidi YBS militia and the Iraqi army have since been strained.

Khudeda Chuki, acting councilor of the sub district of Sinuni and a Hashd al-Shaabi commander, was among the YBS and PKK convoy.

“Zaki Shingali’s vehicle was nearly 50 meters away from us when the planes struck. He was initially injured and taken by car toward Um Zibanian near the Syrian border where there is an Iraqi checkpoint. He was nearly 10 meters from the checkpoint when the plane struck him again. He was martyred there. This raises suspicion that the Iraqi army was aware of this operation,” Chuki said.

The silence of the Iraqi government on this operation is another reason Chuki believes Baghdad was aware of the airstrike.

“Is it acceptable for them not to provide any explanation on Turkey targeting civilians on Iraqi territory? This raises suspicion,” Chuki added.

Following the airstrike, forces affiliated with the PKK in Shingal have relocated some of their headquarters and begun an investigation, Rudaw has learned. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the YBS have since cut relations with Hashd al-Shaabi and Iraqi army. They do not allow Iraqi forces to visit them.

Around 250 PKK fighters went to Shingal when ISIS militants first attacked in August 2014. The PKK then formed other forces in the area such as the YBS (also known as the Shingal Protection Units), which were assisted by Baghdad for some time.


Turkey has several times threatened to attack Qandil and Shingal, pushing the PKK to withdraw its forces from Shingal in March 2018. But more than 3,000 YBS, YPJ and Ezidxan fighters remain in Shingal.

A few hours after the airstrike, the Turkish army announced its fighter jets had targeted Zaki Shingali in Shingal. But a source familiar with the matter told Rudaw the operation is fishy.

“The US controls all the Iraqi airspace. Turkey is allowed to enter Iraqi territory only by 30 kilometers. Abadi was in Turkey a day before the operation. That is why the fighter jets are suspected to be Iraqi. But this is not clear yet,” the source told Rudaw.

Arbo Khidir, a member of Shingal Council associated with the PKK, said: “In regard to what happened, it is clear Iraq assisted Turkey. Everything has now been revealed. I was in the YBS convoy. The bombing was nearly 10 meters from the Iraqi army.”

Tensions between the Iraqi army and YBS forces were heightened on September 2 when a YBS force tried to pass through an Iraqi army checkpoint in a vehicle without license plates. A clash broke out, but no casualties were reported.

Fahd Amid, acting mayor of Shingal who was appointed by Hashd al-Shaabi, told Rudaw: “The situation was brought under control. All the parties are now trying to resolve the tensions.”

Rudaw