Politics

Six Yezidi women rescued from Syria: Nadia Murad

“The women were still children and teenagers when they were first taken captive in 2014. Trafficked out of Iraq and onto Syria, they were rescued on Saturday morning.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/06/04 00:02

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani (right) posing for a photo with renowned Yezidi activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Erbil, Oct. 11, 2022. (Photo: Nechirvan Barzani/Twitter)

Kurdistan Nadia Murad Yezidi Genocide Yezidi IDPs Nechirvan Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Renowned Yezidi activist Nadia Murad on Saturday announced that six Yezidi women were rescued from Syria who were taken captive by ISIS.

“The women were still children and teenagers when they were first taken captive in 2014. Trafficked out of Iraq and onto Syria, they were rescued on Saturday morning,” she said in a tweet.

After weeks of investigation, I am extremely heartened to report that we have rescued six more Yazidi women who were taken captive by ISIS.

The women were still children and teenagers when they were first taken captive in 2014. Trafficked out of Iraq and onto Syria, they were… pic.twitter.com/oKKWqAuSVh
— Nadia Murad (@NadiaMuradBasee) June 3, 2023

Murad announced the six women have been flown back to Erbil where they will be reunited with their families, and offered all the psychosocial support they need. She underlined that this rescue would not have been possible without Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.

“By setting up an office dedicated to rescuing kidnapped Yazidi women and girls, he has helped many of them escape ISIS captivity,” she added.

Six Yezidi women were rescued from Syria who were taken captive by ISIS (Photo: Nadia Murad/Twitter)

In Oct. 2022, Murad met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and discussed the issue about the thousands of Yezidi girls who remain missing after the ISIS offensive on Sinjar town in 2014.

“Rescuing trafficked and enslaved Yazidi women and children is an on-going humanitarian campaign and the reunification of these six women with their families, after nearly nine years, gives us hope that more can be found,” Murad tweeted.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has engaged in various activities to help her community and the Yezidi survivors.

“We will continue to search for the remaining women and children who we know are still missing. In this endeavor, we are asking for help with international partners,” Murad stated.

She underlined that more kidnapped Yezidi women should be brought home.