President Barzani’s efforts continue to liberate victims of ISIS captivity

Shafaq News / The Office of Kidnapped and Missing Persons Affairs in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) announced on Sunday the arrival of a new Yazidi survivor to the district of Sinjar after being liberated earlier last February from al-Hol camp in Syria.

Hussein Kuru, the office's official, told Shafaq News Agency that the Yazidi survivor is 19 years old and was kidnapped by ISIS militants in 2014 from Sinjar when she was nine years old.

He noted that the Yazidi survivor will arrive in the coming days in Duhok governorate to reunite with her family.

Kuru affirmed that the efforts of KRI’s President Nechirvan Barzani continue in his quest to liberate Yazidi women and children who were abducted, promising to liberate them all.

These efforts come within the framework of the commitment of the Regional presidency to protect and liberate the victims of the atrocities committed by ISIS against the Yazidi community in areas like Sinjar and others.

According to statistics from the Office of Kidnapped and Missing Persons, 3,576 individuals, including women and children, have been liberated, while the number of people who are still missing or in ISIS grip amounts to around 2,600 Yazidis.

On Saturday, Iraq's National Intelligence Service (INIS) reported the freeing of a Yazidi girl from ISIS captivity.

According to an INIS statement, the Service successfully freed "Kovan Eidu Kharto," who was kidnapped by ISIS during their control of Sinjar district in 2014.

According to the statement, the operation was carried out based on accurate intelligence information regarding her presence in Syrian territory, allowing for her safe retrieval and return to Iraq, where she was reunited with her family.

ISIS has been notorious for its abduction of women, particularly in conflict-affected regions where it has established control.

These abductions were often part of ISIS's strategy to terrorize communities, enforce its strict interpretation of Islamic law, and perpetuate its ideology of violence and subjugation.

Women and girls abducted by ISIS were subjected to various forms of abuse, including forced marriage, sexual slavery, physical and psychological torture, and exploitation for propaganda purposes.

These abductions have had devastating consequences for the victims and their families, contributing to the humanitarian crisis in the affected areas and highlighting the brutality of ISIS's tactics.