On August 3, 2014, ISIS terrorists overran the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq. The town had a population of 90,000 people, most of them Yezidis, with a small Shia minority.
Yezidis have been viciously targeted and persecuted by ISIS for their beliefs. When ISIS seized control of Sinjar, they immediately began to destroy Yezidi shrines, and to slaughter Yezidi civilians. Thousands of people, particularly men and boys, were executed, while thousands more, especially women and girls, were abducted and raped as sex slaves by ISIS fighters.
It should be noted that in addition to the Yezidis, ISIS also attacked and persecuted other minority groups, including Shia Muslims and Christians.
“I remember powerfully the suffering, the desperation of so many people, and the United States engagement to do everything we could to turn that around and to help protect those who were endangered,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I think one of the most meaningful ways that we can remember ten years on – not only remember but honor the victims – is to hear their stories, to remind ourselves of what people experienced, and continue to experience in different ways.”
Speaking shortly before meeting with Yezidi civil society leaders in late July, Secretary Blinken said, “We’ve worked hand-in-hand with civil society, with community leaders from across Iraq’s religious and ethnic components, to help these communities recover, to advance Iraq’s stability and sovereignty, and, of course, to do everything possible to make sure that ISIS cannot rear its ugly head again.”
“Over that period of time, we’ve invested some $500 million specifically targeted toward the recovery of communities that were most affected by ISIS. This investment is on top of billions of dollars in assistance that we provided to help those who were most in need,” he said.
“I think we’ve made progress, but much work remains to be done, and this recovery continues,” said Secretary Blinken. “Over one million Iraqis remain displaced inside Iraq, including about 300,000 Yezidis; 2,600 Yezidis remain missing and unaccounted for. We are determined to find them, to learn their fates, and to rescue those who remain alive.”
I want to underscore, said Secretary Blinken, “our own commitment to supporting the ongoing recovery of the communities that most suffered under ISIS, delivering accountability to those responsible for this tragedy, and ensuring that this can never happen again, and that ISIS will not resurge.”
