ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Yazidi woman kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Shingal in 2014 has been rescued from Syria's northwestern Idlib province and will soon be returned to the Kurdistan Region, Hussein Qaidi, head of the Office for Rescuing Abducted Yazidis,said on Monday.
“A few days ago, we received information that this girl was living in a specific place in a specific country. We did what was necessary to rescue her. Thank God, she is now in safe hands. Hopefully, necessary measures will be taken to return to the Kurdistan Region and reunite with her family soon,” Qaidi told Rudaw.
Rudaw has learned that the 29-year-old woman, whose identity the office is withholding for security reasons, was found in a house in the rebel-held Idlib province on Saturday.
The office is affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency and was established in 2014 when ISIS swept through the Yazidi heartland of Shingal, committing genocide.
When ISIS swept through the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in August 2014, committing genocide, the group abducted 6,417 women and children who were forced into sexual slavery and labor.
He added that more than 2,000 Yazidis abducted by ISIS a decade ago remain missing.
Many have been rescued from al-Hol, the notorious camp that houses tens of thousands of ISIS families and supporters. Others have been found in areas of Syria controlled by rebels or Turkish-backed armed groups, and some have been located in third countries.
Kurdish security forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) last month announced they rescued a Yazidi man from the clutches of ISIS.
Hawar Jalaladdin contributed to this article.
Updated at 2:16
