Yazidi mother and son reunited with family after 10 years in captivity

DUHOK — A Yazidi mother and her son, abducted by the Islamic State 10 years ago, were reunited with their family on Wednesday at the Khanke camp in Duhok Governorate.

The Islamic State’s 2014 assault on Sinjar resulted in mass killings and the abduction of thousands of Yazidis, with many women and children forced into slavery, conversion, or used as human shields. This created one of the most significant humanitarian crises of recent years.

The mother, 25, and her 10 year old son were found in Syria after efforts by the Yazidi Rescue Office, part of the Kurdistan Region Presidency. “After a great deal of searching, we were able to rescue the mother and child and reunite them with their relatives,” said Hussein Qaidi, head of the office.

Qaidi said that many of the abducted Yazidis suffered severe psychological trauma and physical mistreatment. The mother and son showed clear signs of torture. “They were sent to a specialized medical center immediately after their rescue,” he added.

The two are from Tel Qasabi village in the Sinjar district. They were abducted on August 3, 2014, and taken to Tal Afar, then Mosul, and later to Syria. Qaidi also noted, “All other family members have been freed, except for the woman’s uncle and cousin, who remain missing.”

According to the Yazidi Rescue Office, 6,417 Yazidis were abducted by ISIS in 2014. So far, 3,583 have been rescued, while others remain missing, with many families unsure if their loved ones are alive or buried in mass graves.

Sinjar, part of Nineveh province and located 120 kilometers from Mosul, is Iraq’s second-largest district, with a significant Yazidi population. The Yazidis, who follow an ancient Mesopotamian religion, have faced repeated persecution throughout history.

On August 12, two other Yazidi girls, 10-year-old Khonav Naif and 24-year-old Tawaf Dawood, were also rescued from Syria’s Al-Hol camp and reunited with their families in Duhok’s Sharya camp.

The Islamic State, which declared a caliphate in 2014, was driven out of Iraq in 2017 by Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga, with support from a U.S.-led coalition. Though the group lost its final Syrian stronghold in 2019, its remnants continue to pose a threat to the region.