A Yazidi woman, kidnapped at the age of 11 by the Islamic State group in Iraq and subsequently taken to Gaza, has been rescued after more than ten years in captivity. Officials from Israel, the United States, and Iraq confirmed the details of her rescue, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Background on Yazidi Persecution
The Yazidis are a religious minority primarily residing in Iraq and Syria. In 2014, the Islamic State group launched a brutal offensive against the Yazidi community in Sinjar, resulting in the massacre of thousands of men and the enslavement of women and girls. This tragic event has left a lasting impact on the Yazidi population, with many still grappling with the aftermath.
Details of the Rescue Operation
The Israeli military announced that the now 21-year-old woman, identified as Fawzia Amin Sido, was freed after her captor in Gaza was killed, likely during an airstrike amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas. After the death of her captor, Sido managed to escape to another location within Gaza.
The military described the rescue as a “complex operation” that involved coordination between Israel, the United States, and various international actors. Following her release, Sido was taken to Iraq via Israel and Jordan.
Challenges Faced During the Rescue
Iraqi foreign ministry official Silwan Sinjaree revealed that multiple previous attempts to rescue Sido over a four-month period had failed due to the unstable security situation in Gaza. While Sido was reported to be in good physical condition, she was described as traumatized by her lengthy captivity and the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Emotional Reunion with Family
A video shared by Canadian philanthropist Steve Maman showed the emotional moment when Sido was reunited with her family in Iraq. Maman, who played a significant role in her rescue, expressed his commitment to bringing her home, stating, “To her it seemed surreal and impossible but not to me, my only enemy was time. Our team reunited her moments ago with her mother and family in Sinjar.”
The Broader Context of Yazidi Suffering
The Islamic State group once controlled a vast area of territory spanning from eastern Iraq to western Syria, imposing its brutal rule on nearly eight million people. In August 2014, IS militants swept through the northwestern Sinjar region, the Yazidi homeland. They rounded up the population, executing men and boys over the age of 14, while women and girls were abducted as “spoils of war.”
Many of the Yazidi women and girls who later escaped captivity described being openly sold or handed over as “gifts” to IS members, with estimates suggesting that the group killed over 3,000 Yazidis and captured around 6,000 more. The United Nations has classified the actions of the Islamic State as genocide, along with multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Continuing Struggles for the Yazidi Community
Despite ongoing rescue efforts, Iraqi authorities report that more than 3,500 members of the Yazidi community have been rescued or freed, but approximately 2,600 individuals remain missing. The community continues to face significant challenges as they work to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of such profound trauma.
(INCLUDES INPUTS FROM ONLINE SOURCES)
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