Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian political parties mark 10th anniversary of Islamic State invasion of Nineveh Plains, demand action from Iraqi government and UN

BAGHDEDE, Iraq — On the 10th anniversary of Islamic State’s (ISIS) invasion of Nineveh Plains in Iraq, political parties representing the Chaldean–Syrian–Assyrian issued a powerful joint statement addressing the Iraqi parliament, government authorities, the United Nations, and their communities.

The statement, issued by the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA), the Assyrian Patriotic Party, the Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa), the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian Popular Council, and the Bet-Nnahrain Democratic Party (BNDP), criticized the Iraqi Parliament for failing to compensate the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people for the devastation they suffered. The parties condemned this neglect as both ethnic and religious discrimination.

The statement also denounced the Iraqi government’s silence on the ongoing Turkish military incursions into villages inhabited by the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people along the Turkish border. These incursions have led to further displacement from their ancestral lands. The parties called on the United Nations to intervene immediately to halt what they describe as the systematic eradication of their people, holding the UN accountable for not upholding its charter in this regard.

The parties reaffirmed their dedication to the struggle for the rights of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community. They called on the Iraqi government to establish administrative units in Nineveh Plains, address demographic changes, end injustices, and grant their community the constitutional right to establish a region in Nineveh Plains, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution.