ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The death toll among thousands of Yezidi civilians on Shingal mountain is rising every minute, says Rudaw reporter, with dead bodies lying everywhere among the rocks.
“The children and elderly who have died are so many that they cannot be counted,” said Barakat Issa, Rudaw reporter. “In the past four days I have witnessed the death of many.”
Since Saturday thousands of Yezidi Kurds from Shingal and surrounding villages have taken shelter on a mountain, fleeing the capture of their town by militants of the Islamic State (IS).
“Because people’s cell phones are out of battery, the news of the deaths is delivered by runners,” said Isa. “When we see someone running we know they are either fleeing or carrying the news of someone’s death.”
Our reporter described the situation on Shingal mountain as the “Holocaust and Anfal”.
The civilians are cut off from the Kurdistan Region and Kurdish Peshmerga forces who are trying to recapture the town from the IS militants.
They cannot risk descending the mountain as their Kurdish identity and Yezidi faith has made them a prime target for the extremist group.
The refugees say that the Islamic militants have massacred 300 villagers in the vicinities of Shingal since Saturday and that hundreds more missing.
Pictures of the killings have been posted on the Internet by the Islamic group where they also say they “want to control the entire province of Nineveh.”
The Islamic group is said to have captured 500 Yezidi women and girls and transported them to Mosul.
On Wednesday a Kurdish MP said that the women are held inside a hall in Mosul.
Speaker of Kurdistan’s parliament Yousif Muhammad said on Wednesday that the war with the Islamic state is a war against terrorism.
“Fighting terrorism is a global war and the international community must help the Kurdistan Region,” Muhammad said to reporters after visiting the Mir (Chief) of the Yezidis in the town of Shekhan.
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