In the summer of 2014, ISIS terrorists tore across Iraq, committing genocide, kidnapping, raping, and destroying churches, shrines, and cultural heritage sites. Anyone who did not follow their interpretation of Islam or stood against their so-called caliphate was executed, abducted, or enslaved. The victims were many, but most notably, the Yazidis and Christians.
Today marks the anniversary of ISIS’s genocide against the Yazidis, where more than 5,500 Yazidis were killed, and about 6,300 people, mostly women and girls, were systematically forced into slavery—about 3,000 of whom are still missing. Additionally, more than 90 percent of the estimated 360,000 Yazidis living in Sinjar and its surrounding areas have been displaced since the terrorist organization unleashed its fighters on the Yazidi community. Close to 220,000 Yazidis remain in camps in the Kurdistan Region.
We bow our heads in salute to the victims of this genocide and pay tribute to the survivors of ISIS’s brutal campaign of killing and destruction. We honor all who remain missing and pray for their safe return to the embrace of their families.
We stand in solidarity with our Yazidi brothers and sisters and continue to support their call for justice and accountability.
