A 21-year-old Yazidi woman, who was kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq more than a decade ago, has been freed from Gaza in a coordinated operation involving the United States, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan. The woman, named Fauzia Sido, is from the Yazidi religious minority, which has faced brutal attacks from ISIS. In 2014, at least 5,000 Yazidis were killed, and thousands more were kidnapped by the jihadist group in what the United Nations has called a “genocide.”
Fauzia had been held captive since she was 11 years old after being kidnapped in Iraq and later sold and transported to Gaza. According to Iraq’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Siluan Sinjari, multiple attempts had been made over the past four months to rescue her, but they were unsuccessful due to ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip. However, a recent breakthrough allowed her release, with the U.S. and its allies leading the effort.
Iraqi officials had been in contact with Fauzia for several months, and they passed critical information to American authorities, who arranged for her safe extraction. While details of the operation have not been fully disclosed, it involved cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and Iraq. Israeli security forces played a significant role in rescuing Fauzia, as confirmed by David Saranga, the director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s digital diplomacy office.
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department explained that Fauzia’s captor was recently killed, enabling her to escape and seek help for repatriation. On October 1, the U.S. facilitated her safe return to Iraq, where she has now been reunited with her family in northern Iraq. While she is in good physical health, her mental state has been deeply affected by years of captivity and the harsh conditions she endured.
The plight of the Yazidis remains a significant humanitarian issue. In 2014, over 6,000 Yazidis were captured by ISIS in Iraq’s Sinjar region. Many were sold into slavery, used as child soldiers, or taken to other countries like Syria and Turkey. Although 3,500 have since been rescued, 2,600 remain missing, with activists fearing many were killed, but holding hope that hundreds may still be alive.
