Two young Yazidi men, Diyar Elî Refo and Osman Xêro Xudêda, have been reunited with their families after almost 11 years in Islamic State (ISIS) captivity. Liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on 21 April, the young men were handed over to their loved ones at the Rabia border crossing in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) on 27 April.
The pair were abducted as children, when Diyar was just 11 years old and Osman just 8, during ISIS’s genocidal attack on Sinjar (Şengal) in August 2014, which left thousands of Yazidis dead and resulted in the abduction of more than 7,000 women and children.
The boys returned home after enduring years of hardship, having been subjected to harsh treatment and exploitation during their captivity. Diyar, from the village of Kocho (Kojo), lost a leg and an eye in those years, while Osman, from al-Wardiya, lost his right hand — both as a result of enforced military training and abuse at the hands of ISIS militants.
Notably, this is the second such rescue in recent months, following the liberation of another young Yazidi man during a special SDF operation on 12 March. While thousands of Yazidis have been freed in recent years, the fate of many—especially women—remains unknown.
The Yazidi community continues to demand justice and accountability for the genocide, with international efforts ongoing to document the crimes and locate the missing.
