Iraqi CT forces free Kurdish Yezidi woman in Mosul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Counter Terrorism (CT) forces of Iraq freed an Yezidi (Ezidi) woman from the Islamic State (IS) in Mosul, said an Iraqi CT Spokesperson on Friday.

Sabah Na’mani told Kurdistan24 that while fighting the extremist group on the eastern side of Mosul on Thursday, CT troops freed an Ezidi woman named Shirin.

Na’mani stated that the jihadist group kidnapped Shirin during the occupation of the city of Sinjar (Shingal) in August 2014.

“She has lost two of her sisters and family,” he said.

On Friday, the CT forces handed over the lady to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the town of Bartella, east of Mosul, to be taken to her relatives in the Kurdistan Region.

“We are in good coordination with all the Iraqi forces in the battle to liberate Mosul,” said a Kurdish Peshmerga commander. “The coordination will continue.”

The Peshmerga commander also mentioned that it is not the first time that Iraqi forces have handed over the rescued Kurdish people to Peshmerga and this is a routine.

According to Ezidi officials in the Kurdistan Region, thousands of Ezidi men, women and children remain in the hands of the extremist group.

The IS emerged in Mosul in June 2014. Shortly after, the group expanded to other provinces of Iraq and occupied large swaths of territory. In August 2014, the IS controlled Shingal, the Ezidi populated city located in the southwest of Mosul.

The jihadist group has lost most of the areas in the country and continues to shrink inside Mosul as the security forces launched the second stage of the operation.

Editing by Ava Homa