European Syriac Union marks 11th anniversary of Islamic State invasion of Nineveh Plains, urges global recognition of genocide

BRUSSELS — On the 11th anniversary of the Nineveh Plains Massacre, the European Syriac Union (ESU) issued a statement commemorating the victims of the brutal 2014 attacks by the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) against the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian and Yezidi peoples and renewing its call for justice.

“The Nineveh Plains represent the heart of the Syriac people’s historical memory and stand as a living testament to Mesopotamia’s cultural heritage,” the statement read. “The events of 2014 were not merely acts of war, but a genocidal campaign aimed at erasing an entire people’s identity, faith, and existence.”

On 6 August 2014, ISIS launched a campaign of systematic destruction across the Nineveh Plains, attacking towns including Baghdede (Qaraqosh), Bartella, Karamlesh, and Tel Keppe. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced overnight, while Christian homes, churches, monasteries, and other sacred and cultural sites were plundered, destroyed, or burned.

The ESU called on the international community to officially recognize the atrocities committed by ISIS against Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians as genocide, to hold perpetrators accountable, to guarantee the safe and dignified return of displaced persons, and to rebuild destroyed Christian heritage. Above all, the ESU urged support for self-governance of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in Nineveh Plains.

Even 11 years after ISIS seized control of the region, the statement warned, the community continues to face existential threats, particularly from ongoing attempts at demographic change. Current estimates suggest that only about half of those displaced in 2014 have been able to return to their homes.