On August 3, 2014, fighters of the jihadist terrorist militia Islamic State attacked the main settlement area of the Yazidis around the Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraqi-Kurdistan. This day represents the prelude to the most atrocious war crimes and an incipient genocide.
Men and boys were executed because they were unwilling to convert to Islam. Their bodies were desecrated and dumped in mass graves. Over 7000 women and young children were abducted, abused, raped as sex slaves, and resold in slave markets. On the first day of the genocide alone, over 5000 people lost their lives. According to the United Nations, up to 10,000 Yezidis lost their lives in the further course of the genocide and up to 500,000 Yezidis were driven from their homes. To this day, countless people are considered missing.
Thanks to the Kurdish YPG (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel) and YPJ (Yekîneyên Parastina Jin) militias, which fought for an escape corridor and thus saved the lives of numerous Yezidis, an even greater genocide was prevented. Today, Germany is home to the largest Yazidi diaspora with over 200,000 Yazidis.
(ao)