ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Yazidi woman who was kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 has been reunited with her family in Duhok after nearly 11 years in captivity across Syria and Turkey.
Dima A., 24, was abducted from her hometown of Kocho in the Shingal district of northern Iraq at the age of 13, along with eight other family members. Her case is one of thousands in the Yazidi community, which was targeted by ISIS in its brutal campaign of mass abductions and killings.
“That life I lived before was very bad and I saw many types of torture,” Dima said after returning home. “They stole my childhood from me, they stole my dreams and destroyed my life. I won’t forgive them for this. Their fate is with God.”
“Today I am very happy because I have returned to my family after a long time. After nearly eleven years I have returned to my family and homeland,” she said.
During its 2014 assault on Shingal, ISIS abducted 6,417 Yazidi women and children, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor, or forced to marry their captors.
Dima said she was held for three years in Syria and then for seven years in Turkey. Last year, her Saudi Arabian husband tried to take her to Egypt, but they were detained due to problems with their passports and jailed for a year. After their release, she fled and contacted her family.
Her escape and return were coordinated by Abdullah Shrem, a Yazidi rescuer who has helped more than 400 people since ISIS's territorial defeat.
He said a network of friends helped bring Dima across Turkey.
“Through friends, we brought some people from Adana in Turkey to their homes, and then through some people we took them to Gaziantep, and today we brought this one across,” said Shrem. “We thank the government very much for helping us.”
Dima’s return brought relief to her community, many of whom still await news of their missing relatives.
“By God we are very happy and to anyone who helped us, may their homes be blessed,” said Mulka Khidir, a relative of Dima’s. “We hope all our girls will be rescued, they are everywhere - they are in Turkey, in Syria, in al-Hol camp and everywhere.”
Nearly 2,600 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency. It is believed many are being held in neighboring countries or displaced across the region.
Although the group was territorially defeated in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, it continues to pose a security threat.
