Since 2016, Yazidis in Syria have been forced to flee from the Turkish occupation of northern Syria to the relative safety of the secular Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria,[40] because of the war crimes committed against Yazidis and other minorities by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, an overwhelmingly Sunni militia with strong jihadist influence.[41][42] The Turkish Armed Forces have also targeted the YBŞ, including the April 2017 Turkish airstrikes in Syria and Iraq and the 2018 Turkish strikes on Sinjar.