Yezidi woman found in Syria’s al-Hol camp

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Farhad Shami, the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) media center, on Sunday in a post on X said that a Yezidi woman was found in al-Hol refugee camp during an ongoing security operation.

Shami said the woman was liberated by Women's Protection Units (YPJ) from the camp, which hosts thousands of ISIS wives.

“Ms. Kovan is originally from Hardan village in Shangal, and she was abducted by ISIS during the Shingal/Sinjar massacre in 2014,” Shami said.

Since last week, the SDF and the Syrian Kurdish Asayish have been carrying out a security operation in the camp against ISIS cells, in which 37 ISIS suspected members have thus far been arrested.

In Aug. 2014, ISIS militants attacked the Yezidi-majority town of Sinjar and nearby villages, killing at least 5,000 Yezidis as well as enslaving about 6,000 women and minors. 

Yezidi organizations have repeatedly called on the international community and regional states to do more to find their missing women, men and children.

Read More: Yezidi girl saved from Syria’s al-Hol camp

A number of them were previously found in al-Hol camp, and it’s expected the camp contains more missing Yezidi women.