Yazidi Girls Liberated from ISIS Embrace Joyful Reunion with Families
Shafaq News/ Dozens of Yazidi families gathered at Azadi Park in Duhok Governorate on Wednesday to joyfully welcome six girls recently liberated from the clutches of ISIS. The emotional reunion was filled with songs and celebrations as the girls expressed gratitude for their newfound freedom.
Speaking to Shafaq News agency, one of the survivors shared her overwhelming happiness at being reunited with her family, stating, "I can say that I am born again."
"Since 2014, I had been at the mercy of the organization, but thank God, I was finally liberated. I am deeply thankful to everyone involved in our rescue operation." She said.
On Sunday, the Department of Yazidi Affairs announced that President Nechirvan Barzani undertook significant efforts to secure the release of the six Yazidi girls.
The department appreciated the role played by Yazidi activist Nadia Murad in the rescue mission.
Last week, Murad, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, announced the liberation of six Yazidi women who had been held captive by ISIS for nearly a decade.
"After weeks of investigation, I am extremely heartened to report that we have rescued six more Yazidi women who were taken captive by ISIS," Murad shared on Twitter. "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."
Murad explained that the women have been flown back to Erbil, where they will receive comprehensive psychosocial support and be reunited with their families. She expressed her gratitude to Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani and PM Masrour Barzani for their dedicated efforts, particularly in establishing an office focused on rescuing kidnapped Yazidi women and girls.
The Yazidi community, hailing from northern Iraq's Nineveh Governorate, endured a harrowing genocide at the hands of ISIS. During the group's 2014 invasion of the governorate and other parts of north and northwest Iraq, hundreds of Yazidis were killed, and many more were subjected to abduction and captivity.
