ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Yazidi mother and her 11-year-old daughter were reunited with their family in Shingal (Sinjar) on Saturday after spending more than 11 years held captive by Islamic State (ISIS) militants. “I stayed in Syria for three years and then we went to Turkey. I have been in Turkey for nine years,” said Suda Kh. “About 10 days ago, I spoke with my family and thank God they helped me out and I was rescued.” In its assault on Shingal in 2014, ISIS militants abducted 6,417 Yazidi women and children, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. Over 3,500 of them have been rescued so far, with approximately 2,500 yet to be located. Suad said that she and her child were relocated several times in Syria before they were taken to Turkey where she was kept for nine years, never allowed to leave the house. Her daughter does not speak any Kurdish because their captors forced them to speak Arabic only. They were warmly welcomed home by their family. “I cannot describe how I feel. I’m very happy and it feels like a dream,” said Abdullah Shrem, Suad’s husband. Suad’s mother was filled with joy at being reunited with her daughter and granddaughter, but it was tempered by the fact that other members of their family are still missing. “I still have another daughter missing, and four of her cousins are still missing. Her aunt is still missing. We still have five missing women out there,” she said. Many Yazidi women and children have been rescued from al-Hol, the notorious camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) that houses tens of thousands of ISIS families and supporters. Others have been found in areas of Syria that were controlled by rebels or Turkish-backed armed groups, and some have been located in third countries.
