The Ezidi Abductees Rescue Office has renewed its efforts to locate and rescue Ezidis abducted during the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ISIS’s control of parts of Iraq, following recent political and security developments in Syria.
These include the handover of al-Hol camp—home to nearly 5,000 Iraqi nationals—to the Syrian Arab Army.
According to figures released by the rescue office, which operates under the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG, the whereabouts of more than 2,500 missing Ezidis remain unknown. Authorities have not yet determined how many of them may still be inside al-Hol camp.
Khairi Bozani, supervisor of the abductees’ file at the office, told KirkukNow that several Ezidis were previously believed to be inside al-Hol in western Kurdistan (Rojava).
“We made repeated attempts in the past to rescue them, but the circumstances were extremely difficult,” he said. “Now, with the recent changes on the ground, a new opportunity has emerged, and we will intensify our efforts.”
In a statement released on Sunday, January 26, the office reassured Ezidi captives who have yet to be freed and are believed to be in northern Syria that they are safe.
“You will not be harmed,” the statement said, adding, “Your families are waiting for you.”
The office also published several contact numbers to facilitate communication and rescue requests:
- 009647504676173
- 009647504458024
- 009647502212982
Bozani emphasized that investigations into the fate of the missing 2,500 Ezidis are ongoing and that cooperation from individuals in “western Kurdistan has been instrumental in this process.”
Meanwhile, Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement announced on January 22 that approximately 19,000 detainees have been returned from al-Hol camp in 31 separate transfers, leaving fewer than 5,000 Iraqis still inside the camp.
Al-Hol, one of Syria’s largest camps, lies east of Hasakah near the Iraqi border with Nineveh Province. At its peak, it housed around 72,000 people under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The camp was officially transferred to the Syrian Army last week.
Its population includes families of ISIS fighters—both Iraqi and foreign—as well as women and children displaced from Baghouz, ISIS’s final stronghold, which fell in March 2018. Among them are Ezidi women and girls who were kidnapped and subjected to enslavement by ISIS militants.
Alongside the rescue office’s efforts, both the Ezidi Emir and the Ezidi Spiritual Council have contacted KRG authorities to affirm their full cooperation in locating and freeing the remaining abductees.
In August 2014, IS launched a brutal assault on Ezidi communities in Nineveh, particularly in the Shingal (Sinjar) district. The attacks claimed the lives of 2,293 people and led to the abduction of 6,417 Ezidis, most of them women and children. To date, over 3,580 have been successfully rescued.
