Iraqi troops free Yazidi women, children from Islamic State captivity
A displaced Iraqi child from the Yazidi community hold a juice after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq. Archival photo.
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi troops freed on Monday six Yazidi women along with their children from Islamic State captivity in Mosul city, the Security Media Center said.
The Yazidi women, in addition to their six children, had been taken captive during the Islamic State’s capture of Mosul city from 2014 to 2017, Alghad Press website quoted the center as saying.
The freed Yazidis had been handed over to their families in Sinjar district in Nineveh, according to the center.
Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October 2016.
Islamic State abducted and executed hundreds of Yazidis after it took over Sinjar district. News reports mentioned that the captives were given to the IS fighters in Iraq and Syria.
After Sinjar fell to IS in August 2014, thousands of Yazidi Kurds fled Sinjar to nearby mountain areas
The ethno-religious minority of Yazidis came to the spotlight when Islamic State militants, taking over large parts of Iraq, victimized its members, massacred, enslaved and tortured thousands of the community members.