The Yazidi House in Hasakah (Hesekê), northeast Syria, has received a young Yazidi man from the security forces, as reported by North Press on Sunday. He had been held captive by ISIS since its attack on Sinjar (Shengal) in Iraq in August 2014, an event globally recognised as genocide. His release marks a continuation of efforts to rescue and repatriate Yazidi captives.
Rojin Hadeed Talal, originally from the village of Hardan in Sinjar, was handed over to the Yazidi House in Hasakah by the Asayish, the internal security forces of North and East Syria. He had been transferred from Idlib Governorate in northwest Syria, where he was freed.
The Yazidi House, a civil non-governmental organisation, works in collaboration with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) to reunite individuals who have been freed with their families. Since the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated ISIS in Baghuz, the Yazidi House has received 233 individuals, including 179 children and 54 women.
Hadeed’s ordeal in the nine years since his abduction in 2014 has involved being moved to various locations under ISIS control in northern Syria, before he was eventually taken to Idlib in 2019. The case highlights the ongoing plight of the Yazidi community, which suffered over 6,000 abductions by ISIS during the Sinjar attack. According to official figures, more than half of these individuals remain missing.
The Yazidi House has stated that Hadeed will remain with them until he can be formally handed over to his family through the Sinjar Council, ensuring his safe and structured reintegration into his community.