Yazidis urge pressure on Syria to find missing ISIS victims

Families of Yazidis missing since the 2014 ISIS attack on Shingal (Sinjar), Iraq, gathered to urge the Iraqi government to pressure Syria for help in locating their loved ones, Rudaw reported. The families collected signatures on a petition ahead of the Arab League summit in Baghdad, calling for action to find thousands of Yazidi women and children captured by ISIS and still missing.

Haji Hame, a participant, expressed frustration that the Syrian government claims ISIS no longer exists, questioning the whereabouts of 2,500 Yazidis believed to be in Syria. Families demand that if their relatives are imprisoned, in camps, or buried in Iraq, authorities take action to rescue or recover them.

During the ISIS assault in August 2014, 6,417 Yazidi women and children were abducted, many subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. Currently, 2,590 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis under the Kurdistan Region Presidency. The families hope to learn the fate of their loved ones and secure their safe return.