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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2719698/President-Obama-authorises-airstrikes-Iraq-defend-civilians-Islamic-militants-swarming-country.html Fears of vicious plans for hundreds of Yazidi 'slave' women captured by ISIS fanatics in Iraq]
*[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2719698/President-Obama-authorises-airstrikes-Iraq-defend-civilians-Islamic-militants-swarming-country.html Fears of vicious plans for hundreds of Yazidi 'slave' women captured by ISIS fanatics in Iraq]
* [https://news.vice.com/video/the-islamic-state-full-length The Islamic State, Vice News report (segment featuring Yazidi refugees starts at 39:50)]
{{portalbar|Current events|Iraq|Kurdistan|Human rights}}
{{portalbar|Current events|Iraq|Kurdistan|Human rights}}


Revision as of 16:38, 24 August 2014

Yazidi persecution by the Islamic State
LocationSinjar, Iraq
TargetYazidi population
Attack type
Mass murder
Deaths~894 Yazidis killed (Iraqi Government)[1][2]
Perpetrators Islamic State
Defenders Iraqi Kurdistan[3][4]
 United States[5][6][7]
MotiveMass murder, human trafficking and forced conversions to Islam. [1]

Persecution of Yazidis by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant refers to the genocidal persecution of the Yazidi people of Iraq, leading to their exile, the abduction of their women and massacres during what is being called a "forced conversion campaign"[8] in Northern Iraq by the militant organization Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL).

The persecution of the Yazidi by IS has gained international attention, with the United States taking military action against IS militants with airstrikes and ground troops. Additionally, the United States, United Kingdom and France have made emergency airdrops to the besieged Yazidi and provided weapons to the Kurdish Peshmerga defending them. The IS's actions against the Yazidi population has resulted in tens of thousands of refugees, hundreds murdered and hundreds kidnapped.[1][6][9]

Background

The Yazidis are the latest minority group that the ISIL has targeted in its campaign of religious persecution and killing of anyone different from themselves and unwilling to convert to Islam. The other minorities who face danger from the ISIL are the Shabaks, whose faith is similar to that of the Yazidis, the Turkmens and the Assyrians.[10]

The Yazidi are monotheists who believe in a benevolent peacock angel (Melek Taus) and whose ancient gnostic faith has elements of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other extremists tend to view the peacock angel as the malevolent archangel Lucifer or Satan and label the Yazidi as 'devil' worshippers.[11][12]

Under Islamic law as observed by the ISIL, Yazidis are officially given the choice to convert to Sunni Islam or die. They are not eligible for the tax taken from "People of the Book" by the ISIL that would allow them to continue observing their religion.[13] These persecutions and murders are motivated by the ISIL's interpretation of the Qur'anic verse 9:5.[14][15]

Violence outbreak

Main article: Sinjar massacre

Many Yazidis have reported summary executions[16] by IS militants, leading to around 50,000–60,000 Yazidis from Sinjar escaping from the IS on the nearby Sinjar mountain.[6] They were besieged by the IS on Mount Sinjar, facing starvation and dehydration.[17][18] On 3 August 2014, IS militants attacked and took over Sinjar, a Kurdish-controlled town that was home to Yazidis.[19] On 4 August 2014, Prince Tahseen Said, Emir of the Yazidi, issued a plea to world leaders calling for assistance on behalf of the Yazidi facing attack from the Islamic State.[20]

Massacres, human trafficking and forced exile

On 5 August 2014, Al Jazeera reported that an Islamic State offensive in the Sinjar area of northern Iraq had forced 30,000–50,000 Yazidis to flee into the mountains fearing they would be killed by the IS. They had been threatened with death if they refused conversion to Islam. A UN representative said that "a humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in Sinjar".[21] The next day IS kidnapped 400 Yazidi women in Sinjar to sell them as sex slaves.[22] On 10 August 2014, IS militants buried alive an undefined number of Yazidi women and children in an attack that killed 500 people, in what has been described as ongoing genocide in northern Iraq.[23]

According to a statement by the Iraqi government on 10 August 2014, hundreds of women were taken as slaves and 500 Yazidis murdered by the IS, some of them being buried alive.[1][24][25][26] Those who escaped across the Tigris River into Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria on 10 August gave accounts of how they had seen individuals also attempting to flee who later died.[19][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]

A further atrocity was reported against the Yazidi village of Kojo, south of Sinjar, where after the whole population received the customary jihadist ultimatum to convert or be killed, over 80 men were killed and over 100 women abducted on 15 August.[35][36]

International responses

Turkish aid

Hundreds and possibly thousands of Yazidis have taken refuge in neighboring Turkey, where they are being sheltered in refugee camps in the city of Silopi.[37][38] The Turkish Disaster Relief Agency (AFAD) has begun preparations to set up camps for receiving 6,000 refugees from Iraq.[39] Turkey has also airdropped humanitarian aid to Yazidi refugees within Iraq.[40]

United States' support

See also: 2014 American intervention in Iraq
Video of United States military F/A-18 Hornet airstrike on Islamic State vehicles and militants.
Bundles of water inside of a C-17 Globemaster III before a humanitarian airdrop by the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron of the United States Air Force.

On 7 August 2014, a high-level meeting was held at the White House to discuss the situation. During the meeting, talks included plans for targeted airstrikes on IS militants and emergency air relief for the Yazidis.[41] On 8 August 2014, the US asserted that the systematic destruction of the Yazidi people by the Islamic State is genocide.[42] The US military launched indefinite airstrikes targeting Islamic State fighters, equipment and installations, with humanitarian aid support from the UK and France, in order to protect civilians in northern Iraq.[5][43] On 9 August 2014, at approximately 11:20 a.m. ET, the United States began targeted airstrikes on IS militants, when two IS armored personnel carriers (APCs) firing on Yazidis were destroyed. Three additional airstrikes occurred when additional IS APCs entered the area, and ISIS fighters were targeted near the town of Makhmur, where the group was launching attacks on the outskirts of Irbil. Fighter jets and military drones carried out the airstrikes after President Barack Obama authorized targeted attacks to protect Americans and Iraqi minorities. President Obama also gave an assurance that no troops would be deployed for combat. Along with the airstrikes, the US airdropped 3,804 gallons of water and 16,128 MREs. Following these actions, the United Kingdom and France stated that they also would begin airdrops.[44]

On 10 August 2014, at approximately 2:15 a.m. ET, the US carried out five additional airstrikes on armed vehicles and a mortar position, enabling 20,000–30,000 Yazidi Iraqis to flee into Syria and later be rescued by Kurdish forces. The Kurdish forces then provided shelter for the Yazidis in Dohuk.[6][45]

On 13 August 2014, fewer than 20 United States Special Forces troops stationed in Irbil along with British Special Air Service troops visited the area near Mount Sinjar to gather intelligence and plan the evacuation of approximately 30,000 Yazidis still trapped on Mount Sinjar. One hundred and twenty-nine additional US military personnel were deployed to Irbil to assess and provide a report to President Obama.[9] The United States Central Command also reported that a seventh airdrop was conducted and that to date, 114,000 meals and more than 35,000 gallons of water had been airdropped to the displaced Yazidis in the area.[7]

In a statement on 14 August 2014, The Pentagon said that the 20 US personnel who had visited the previous day had concluded that a rescue operation was probably unnecessary since there was less danger from exposure or dehydration and the Yazidis were no longer believed to be at risk of attack from the Islamic State. Estimates also stated that approximately 5,000 displaced Yazidis remained on the mountain.[46][47] However, Kurdish officials and Yazidi refugees stated that thousands of young, elderly and disabled individuals on the mountain were still vulnerable, with the governor of Kurdistan’s Dahuk province, Farhad Atruchi, saying that the assessment was "not correct" and that although people were suffering, "the international community is not moving".[47]

International bodies

  •  United Nations - On 13 August 2014, the United Nations declared the Yazidi crisis a Level 3 Emergency, saying that the declaration "will facilitate mobilization of additional resources in goods, funds and assets to ensure a more effective response to the humanitarian needs of populations affected by forced displacements".[48]
  •  Arab League - On 11 August 2014, the Arab League accused the Islamic State of committing crimes against humanity by persecuting the Yazidis.[49][50]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Islamic State Killed 500 Yazidis, Buried Some Victims Alive". Huffington Post. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  2. ^ "ISIS militants 'kill 300 MORE Yazidi men and kidnap their families' | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  3. ^ Nordlandhelene Cooper, Rod (10 August 2014). "U.S. air strikes, Kurdish forces push back Sunni militants in Iraq". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  4. ^ Corcoran, Kieran (9 August 2014). "Escape from death mountain: Stranded Yazidis rescued by Kurdish peshmerga after escaping Jihadist horde threatening genocide". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b "فابيوس: ينبغي تشكيل حكومة شراكة وطنية في العراق". Bbc.co.uk. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d "Thousands of Yazidis rescued, Iraqi official says". CNN. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Aug. 13: Update on Humanitarian Assistance Operations Near Sinjar, Iraq". United States Central Command. United States Central Command. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  8. ^ Arraf, Jane (August 7, 2014). "Islamic State persecution of Yazidi minority amounts to genocide, UN says". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Chulov, Martin; Borger, Julian; Norton-Taylor, Richard; Roberts, Dan (13 August 2014). "US troops land on Iraq's Mt Sinjar to plan for Yazidi evacuation". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  10. ^ McCoy, Terrence. "The Islamic State's bloody campaign to exterminate minorities: 'Even Genghis Khan didn't do this'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Why Does ISIS Consider the Yazidi 'Devil Worshippers'?". Ultra Culture. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  12. ^ “The Devil Worshipers of the Middle East : Their Beliefs & Sacred Books” Holmes Pub Group LLC (December 1993) ISBN 1-55818-231-4 ISBN 978-1-55818-231-8
  13. ^ August 9, 2014 12:13 PM (2014-08-09). "Islamic State militants tell 300 Yazidi families: convert or die - Yahoo News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.“
  15. ^ Pickthall. "Surah 9. At-Tauba, Ayah 5". Alim.org. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  16. ^ David Stout (2014-08-06). "Iraq: Thousands Trapped on Mount Sinjar WIthout Water or Aid". TIME. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  17. ^ "UN Security Council condemns attacks by Iraqi jihadists". BBC News. August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; August 8, 2014 suggested (help)
  18. ^ Levs, Josh (August 7, 2014). "Will anyone stop ISIS?". CNN. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  19. ^ a b Sly, Liz (10 August 2014). "Exodus from the mountain: Yazidis flood into Iraq following US airstrikes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  20. ^ Packer, George (6 August 2014). "A Friend Flees the Horror of ISIS". The New Yorker. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  21. ^ Salih, Mohammed; van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (5 August 2014). "Iraqi Yazidis: 'If we move they will kill us'". Aljazeera. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  22. ^ ""داعش" يختطف اكثر من 400 امرأة ايزيدية في سنجار ويوزعهن على معسكرين لممارسة "جهاد النكاح"". Almasalah.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  23. ^ Adam Withnall (2014-08-10). "Iraq crisis: Islamic militants 'buried alive Yazidi women and children in attack that killed 500' - Middle East - World". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  24. ^ "Islamisté povraždili 500 jezídů, ženy a děti zaživa pohřbili, tvrdí Bagdád –". Novinky.cz. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  25. ^ Hoft, Jim. "Report: ISIS Buried Yazidi Victims Alive – 300 Women Kidnapped as Slaves". thegatewaypundit. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  26. ^ Rasheed, Ahmed (10 August 2014). "Exclusive: Iraq says Islamic State killed 500 Yazidis, buried some victims alive". Reuters. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  27. ^ Chulov, Martin (11 August 2014). "Yazidis tormented by fears for women and girls kidnapped by Isis jihadis". Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  28. ^ Joshi, Priya (August 8, 2014). "Iraq Crisis: Hundreds of Yazidi Women Held as Slaves by Islamic State Militants". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  29. ^ "ISIL killed 500 Yazidis, took 300 women as slaves: Iraq govt". August 11, 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  30. ^ Rasheed, Ahmed (11 August 2014). "Islamic State kills 500 Yazidis, burying some alive, says human rights minister". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  31. ^ YACOUB, SAMEER N. "Iraq Official: Militants Hold 100s of Yazidi Women". abc news. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  32. ^ "Islamic State forces kill hundreds of Yazidi minority in Iraq threaten Kurdish capital". The Jerusalem Post. Reuters. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  33. ^ Gander, Kashmira. "Iraq crisis: Hundreds of Yazidi women taken captive by Islamic State militants". The Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  34. ^ Krohn, Jonathan. "Iraq crisis: 'It is death valley. Up to 70 per cent of them are dead'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  35. ^ Coren, Anna; Carter, Chelsea J. "Report: U.S. airstrikes carried out as part of Iraqi effort to retake Mosul Dam". CNN. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  36. ^ Zavadski, Katie. "ISIS Just Killed 80 More Yazidis in an Iraqi Village". New York Magazine. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  37. ^ Dingemans, Guido (2014-08-09). "Iraqi Yezidi refugees flee to Turkey to escape ISIS militants". Demotix.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  38. ^ music66 (2014-08-07). "Turkey Gives Sanctuary to Hundreds of Yazidis Fleeing Iraq — Naharnet". Naharnet.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  39. ^ "IŞİD 150 Bin Kişiyi Yerinden Etti". Aktif Haber. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  40. ^ "Davutoğlu: Turkish aid air-dropped to Yazidis in Sinjar mountains". Today's Zaman. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  41. ^ Barnes, Julian E. (7 august 2014). "U.S. Considers Airstrikes, Airdrops to Aid Imperiled Yazidis in Iraq". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 August 2014. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)(subscription required) Accessible via Google.
  42. ^ Noack, Rick (8 August 2014). "When Obama talks about Iraq, his use of the word 'genocide' is vital". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  43. ^ Shear, Michael D. (9 August 2014). "Obama Says Iraq Airstrike Effort Could Be Long-Term". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  44. ^ J. Carter, Chelsea; Tawfeeq, Mohammed; Starr, Barbara (9 August 2014). "Officials: U.S. airstrikes pound ISIS militants firing at Iraq's Yazidis". CNN. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  45. ^ Siddique, Haroon (10 August 2014). "20,000 Iraqis besieged by Isis escape from mountain after US air strikes". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  46. ^ DeYoung, Karen; Whitlock, Craig (14 August 2014). "Rescue mission for Yazidis on Iraq's Mount Sinjar appears unnecessary, Pentagon says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 August 2014. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  47. ^ a b Sly, Liz; Whitlock, Craig (14 August 2014). "Most Yazidis have been rescued from a besieged mountain in northern Iraq". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  48. ^ "UN Declares a 'Level 3 Emergency' for Iraq to Ensure More Effective Humanitarian Response". United Nations Iraq. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  49. ^ "Mid Day News - 11/08/2014 - التطورات في العراق". YouTube. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  50. ^ Addamah, Steven (12 August 2014). "MENA: Arab league accuses ISIS of "crimes against humanity"". Medafrica times. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
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