THE French Communist Party (PCF) condemned a “new massacre” of Yazidis by the Turkish state on Saturday, stating that the bombing of Shengal is a violation of international law.

In a statement the PCF expressed solidarity with the Kurds of Iraq and especially the Yazidi minority, calling on the international community to bring an end to Turkey’s war on the Kurds.

It warned that last week’s bombing of the Shengal region of Iraq is part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “expansionist policy to eliminate the Kurds.”

Last week the Kurdistan National Congress, a platform for groups pursuing Kurdish independence, accused Mr Erdogan of supporting “Isis and other jihadist groups in the region.” It said that the bombings were a crime against humanity and “a continuation of the Isis massacre” that took place in 2014.

The PCF warned that the Turkish state is pursuing a policy of genocide against Kurds in Syria and Iraq.

“Turkish troops have illegally annexed the Djarabulus enclave and the Kurdish canton of Afrin [in Syria], where jihadists from all walks of life have found refuge, committing numerous abuses.

“Turkey is now attacking Iraqi Kurdistan, multiplying military bases and bombing civilians despite protests by the Iraqi state,” the statement read.

Expressing solidarity with the Yazidis, the PCF said: “It is time for the international community to put an end to Turkey's ongoing war against the Kurds, to this policy of territorial expansion that violates state integrity and international law, adding destabilisation to an already wounded region by violence.”

And the PCF slammed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for choosing this moment to announce the strengthening of economic relations with “the dictatorship” of Mr Erdogan, revealing “their capitulation to a regime that tramples on the most basic human rights.

“History will remember this compromise,” the PCF warned.