Iraq
Yazidis gather during a religious ceremony at the holy temple of Lalish near Duhok, Kurdistan Region on August 1, 2022. Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Thousands of Yazidis remain missing, mostly in captivity, eight years on from the genocide committed against the ethnoreligious group at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS) in their heartland of Shingal with their plight continuing to spark concern about whether enough has been done to rescue them.
The majority of Yazidis continue to live harsh lives in camps, as poor services and security prevent them from returning home to Shingal. Their situation is worsened by the lack of cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), bringing further discomfort to already troubled lives seeking a safe path back to their heartland, Khayri Bozani, the former head of Yazidi affairs at the KRG's endowment ministry told Rudaw English on Monday.
Eight years after the tyrannical occupation of Shingal by ISIS, more than 2 thousand Yazidis are still held captives by the militant group and over 300,000 live in the Kurdistan Region, many of whom linger in camps and live well below the poverty line, according to statistics from Rescue Kidnapped Yazidis office sent to Rudaw English by Bozani.
"Most of the Yazidis are IDPs [internally displaced persons] and live in 21 camps across the Kurdistan Region, and their situation is honestly appalling and very bad," Bozani said, further stressing that the non-governmental organizations who originally pledged to support the community "have mostly ceased their operations."
Yazidis suffered particularly brutal treatment under ISIS.
The terror group overran the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in August 2014, committing genocide against the ethnoreligious group. More than 6 thousand Yazidis were abducted and thousands remain missing with little done to bring solace to the rescued.
The majority of captives are held in northwest Syria's (Rojava) notorious al-Hol camp, Bozani said. The camp is infamously branded a breeding ground for terrorism, a "ticking time bomb," and is a facility where ISIS sleeper cells maintain very strong influence and carry out dozens of killings every month.
Bozani attributed the lack of Yazidi returnees from the camp to a thorny relationship between the KRG and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who control the camp, saying it is difficult to repatriate those at al-Hol due to the "bad cooperation" between both sides.
Around 5 thousand Yazidis were also killed by ISIS, according to the numbers of Rescue Yazidis office.
Although Shingal was liberated in 2015, much of the area still lies in ruins. Other parts of the district have scarce facilities, including hospitals and schools.
The presence of armed groups vying for control of the strategic area has also been cited as a factor preventing Yazidis from returning home. Fierce clashes broke out between the Iraqi army and the all-Yazidi Shingal Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in May, forcing thousands of the restless community to flee the heartland they fled in horror in 2014 once again.
In addition to the clashes, the constant threat of Turkish airstrikes also hampers any Yazidis from potentially returning to normalcy in Shingal. Ankara has repeatedly targeted the YBS in Shingal, killing many of the force's commanders and soldiers.
Despite the challenges facing the KRG in rescuing Yazidis from ISIS captivity, efforts to rescue members of the community continue, Bozani stressed, adding that a Yazidi child was returned from captivity one week ago.
The exhumation of mass graves of ISIS victims continues to take place in the vicinity of Shingal. Eighty-three mass graves have been found in Shingal since ISIS attacked the area, in addition to tens of single graves, according to Rescue Kidnapped Yazidis office.
The remains of 145 Yazidis were laid to rest in Shingal’s Kocho after being excavated from mass graves last year.
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