The Women's Defence Units (YPJ) made a written statement and announced that a child and 2 Yazidi women had been rescued from the clutches of ISIS.

According to the statement, the names of the Yazidi women who were kidnapped by ISIS gangs in Shengal (Sinjar) on 3 August 2014 are Ezize Xalid Ali (25) and Tewaf Dawud Çeto (24). A child named Xunav, who was 2 months old when he was kidnapped, was also rescued.

It was reported that Ezize Xalid was rescued in Hol Camp and Tewaf Çeto was rescued while trying to save herself on the Syrian-Iraqi border. In addition, a Yazidi child named Xunav grew up with Ezize Xalid and was rescued together with two Yazidi women.

Head of YPJ Press Liaison Centre, Lena Hisên, and YPJ Spokesperson Rûken Cemal welcomed the rescued Yazidi women.

Lena Hisên said: "Our units have rescued hundreds of Yazidi women since 2014. Of course, as YPJ, we considered the protection of Shengal and the rescue of Yazidi women as our main duty and we have been trying to reach Yazidi women for a long time. We have been working with great sensitivity for hundreds of women whose fate has remained unknown for years."

Rûken Cemal congratulated the successful operation and said that the rescue of Yazidi women on the anniversary of the Shengal massacre was the biggest revenge taken against ISIS.

Thousands of women and children taken prisoner

The city of Shengal in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is the last contiguous settlement area of the Yazidi community. Thousands of Yazidis were murdered and thousands of women and children were taken prisoner in the 3 August 2014 onslaught on Shengal by ISIS militants. While ISIS gangs began murdering Yazidis in Shengal, the Peshmerga left, leaving the Yazidis behind, unprotected. The guerrillas of HPG (People’s Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Women’s Troops) and fighters of the YPG (People’s Defense Units) and YPJ (Women’s Defense Units) came to the Yazidi people's aid in the face of ISIS aggression. Thanks to a months-long selfless struggle, the city was liberated on 13 November 2015. After the liberation of the city, the HPG and YPG/YPJ subsequently withdrew in 2017. People who returned to their land after Shengal's independence reformed, established defensive units and built their institutions.

7000 Yazidi women from Shengal trafficked into slavery

ISIS abducted about 7000 Yazidi women from Shengal into slavery in 2014, some of whom are still in the hands of ISIS supporters in other countries. 2700 to 2800 people are still considered missing. Many of the abducted women were initially taken to Raqqa. During the crushing of the last ISIS enclave in al-Bagouz in eastern Syria in spring 2019, numerous Yazidi women and children were freed. However, not all of them identified themselves as Yazidis for fear of the consequences. During the almost five years of captivity at the hands of ISIS, children in particular were indoctrinated in Islamism and the women were told horror stories about the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The rapes also resulted in many children, which makes the situation even more difficult for the Yazidi women.