Yazidi woman kidnapped by Islamic State in 2014 Sinjar attack freed, office says

ERBIL — A Yazidi woman abducted by Islamic State during the group’s 2014 attack on Sinjar has been freed, the Kurdistan Region’s Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis announced Monday.

The survivor, identified as Jamila Bapir, is from the Tel Qasab community and was kidnapped along with her family during their displacement and subsequent captivity. The office did not disclose the location where she was freed, citing security reasons.

Of the 6,417 Yazidis kidnapped at the start of the genocide in 2014, 3,594 have been rescued, while the fate of thousands remains unknown, according to official figures from the office.

Islamic State attacked Sinjar in August 2014, killing thousands of Yazidi men and forcing women and children into captivity. Many women and girls were subjected to sexual slavery while boys were indoctrinated as fighters. The United Nations has recognized the campaign as genocide. More than 5,000 Yazidis were killed, around 360,000 were displaced inside Iraq and more than 100,000 fled the country. Up to 80% of public infrastructure and 70% of civilian homes in Sinjar and surrounding areas were destroyed, according to the International Organization for Migration.