Yazidi captives reportedly found in Hawl Camp
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Yazidi Rescue Office in Iraq revealed on Sunday the possible presence of kidnapped Yazidis in Hawl Camp, northeastern Syria.
Hussein Qaidi, head of the Yazidi Rescue Office, told al-Hurra TV that 3,581 Yazidis abducted by the Islamic State (ISIS) have been rescued since 2014.
He added that ISIS had kidnapped 6,417 Yazidis, including men, women, and children, during its brutal campaign.
The Hawl Camp has previously been the site of rescue operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish), which have located Yazidi women and their children held within the camp.
ISIS’ Aug. 3, 2014, assault on Sinjar (Shengal) in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region resulted in mass killings and abductions of Yazidis, prompting the United Nations to classify the attack as genocide.
In July, the Asayish rescued a Yazidi woman and two children from the Hawl Camp. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State reported in August that more than 2,600 Yazidi women and girls remain missing, with thousands killed or enslaved by ISIS.
The U.N. estimates over 200 mass graves left by ISIS across Iraq, containing the remains of roughly 12,000 victims.