Iraqi Interior Minister deploys Yazidis to protect religious sites
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari ordered the deployment of 150 Yazidi police officers to enhance security at religious sites in Sinjar district and surrounding areas of Nineveh, a statement confirmed on Friday.
The move addresses the desecration of nearly 70 Yazidi shrines and temples at the hands of the Islamic State group (ISIS) during their 2014 occupation of Nineveh.
Yazidi religious leaders lauded the decision, expressing gratitude to al-Shammari for his "consideration" towards their community in the statement. They urged Nayef Khalaf Sido, head of the Yazidi bloc in parliament, to expedite the deployment with Nineveh's police chief.
This would allow the newly assigned officers to swiftly assume their duties, he said.
ISIS perpetrated genocide against the Yazidis in Sinjar during 2014, with thousands killed and women and children subjected to enslavement. Hundreds remain unaccounted for.
