Why did ISIS Invade the Sinjar Region?
On August 3, 2014, ISIS initiated a brutal attack on the Yazidi community in Northern Iraq. Among the community, the terror group primarily invaded the Sinjar region to kidnap over 6,400 Yazidis from Sinjar, separating men and boys over 12 from their families and executing those who refused to convert to Islam. On the other hand, women and girls were trafficked, enslaved, and subjected to sexual violence and forced labor, with at least 3,500 sold into slavery. In total, 5,500 Yazidis were killed.
ISIS’s genocide on the Yazidis was rooted in their extreme belief that they viewed them as heretical "devil worshippers."
On August 3, 2014, ISIS killed 5,500 Yazidis, captured 6,400 Yazidis, and thousands of girls and women were sold into forced labor, sex trafficking, rape, forced conversion, and sexual slavery.
On the other hand, between 3,000 and 5,000 Yazidi men were blatantly executed for their beliefs.
In a desperate need for retaliation, the Yazidis’ plan proved to be one of great resistance and survival: some fled to the mountains, others organized rescue efforts, and some joined militias to fight back.
After the genocide in 2017, ISIS was pushed out of Sinjar, Iraq; the community was left in ruins.
Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis were left living in camps across Iraq and Syria, unable to move back home because of fears of threats.
12 years later, the remembrance of the genocide prevails, as many continue to search for lost family members.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1) Who are the Yazidis?
They are an ancient ethnoreligious minority group indigenous to northwestern Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Source: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njihr/vol23/iss2/1/
2) What is the current situation for survivors?
Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis remain displaced, living in difficult conditions within refugee camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and northeast Syria.
3) How many women and children were targeted?
Over 6,800 Yazidi women and children were targeted and taken into captivity.
Why it matters
The 2014 Yazidi Genocide tore a hole in the Northern Iraq region. The tribe is a firm believer in monotheism and the guardianship of the seven angels, but thousands were kidnapped and murdered because of their beliefs.
Sources
- Issue 593: "Genocide is occuring": UNHRC must ratify experts' finding to protect Yazidis
- Yazidi woman rescued from Hamas in Gaza: 'I tried suicide many times'
- "The Islamic State's Strategy in Cyberspace" Gabi Siboni, Daniel Cohen, Tal Koren, Military and Strategic Affairs, Volume 7, No. 1, March 2015
- "About the Genocide" Nadias Initiative