Sinjar massacre facts for kids
The Sinjar massacre was a very sad event that happened in August 2014. It marked the start of a terrible time for the Yazidis, a religious group. Many of their people were killed or taken away by a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This happened in Sinjar city and the area around it in Iraq.
ISIL attacked and took control of Sinjar on August 3, 2014. This was part of their larger push into northern Iraq. Many Yazidis were forced to flee their homes.
On August 8, 2014, the United States and the United Kingdom started launching airstrikes against ISIL in northern Iraq. This led to more countries joining the fight against ISIL.
Later, on December 17, 2014, Kurdish forces like the Peshmerga, PKK, and YPG launched an attack. They wanted to take back Sinjar. They had help from US and British airstrikes. This attack helped cut off ISIL's travel and supply routes. These routes were between the cities of Mosul and Raqqa.
According to Noori Abdulrahman from the Kurdistan Regional Government, ISIL wanted to force most Kurds out of important areas. They also wanted to bring in Arabs who would follow ISIL.
Contents
What Happened Before the Attack
Before the attack, Sinjar was mostly home to Yazidis.
In June 2014, ISIL announced they had created a "caliphate." This is a type of Islamic state. It was in parts of Syria and Iraq they controlled. This happened after they had taken over many areas in northern Iraq. When Iraqi soldiers ran away from ISIL, local people picked up their abandoned weapons. They did this to protect themselves. Then, Peshmerga fighters from the Kurdistan Region moved in. They took control of much of the land the Iraqi army had left behind. The Peshmerga took the abandoned weapons. They promised to protect the residents.
ISIL Takes Control of Sinjar
The Attack at Night
When ISIL attacked Sinjar and nearby towns, the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Sinjar left. They left the people behind without warning. Many people agree that most of the forces in Sinjar that day were linked to the KDP. KDP commanders said they had 2,000–4,000 troops there. Other people, however, thought there were many more. They believed there were possibly around 11,000–15,000 troops.
The villagers tried to defend themselves with their own weapons. But ISIL fighters attacked them with mortars. By 3 a.m., ISIL fighters had broken through. They started killing anyone they saw outside.
On the morning of August 3, 2014, ISIL forces captured the city of Sinjar and the surrounding area. ISIL then blew up the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in Sinjar. They killed people who resisted. They demanded that residents promise loyalty and convert to Islam. If not, they would be killed.
People Flee Their Homes
In the villages around Sinjar, many people ran away right away. Yazidis said that ISIL fighters told the remaining Yazidis to convert to Islam or die. ISIL also posted pictures of killings in the Sinjar area on social media.
Almost 200,000 people managed to escape the fighting in Sinjar city. Most of them were Yazidis and some were Shia Muslims.
Trapped in the Mountains
About 50,000 Yazidis fled into the Sinjar Mountains. There, they were trapped without food, water, or medical help. They faced starvation and dehydration.
The U.S. government, Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and news reports said that thousands of Yazidis in the Sinjar Mountains were surrounded by ISIL.
Tahseen Said, the leader of the Yazidis, asked world leaders for help on August 3, 2014. He wanted humanitarian aid for those trapped by ISIL. On August 4, Kurdish fighters reportedly fought ISIL. They tried to take back Sinjar.
Killings in the Sinjar Area
On August 7, 2014, The New York Times reported that ISIL had killed many Yazidi men in Sinjar city. They also took Yazidi women for forced marriages. It was also reported that ISIL fighters killed ten caretakers of the Shia Sayeda Zeinab shrine in Sinjar. Then they blew it up.
While people were trapped on Mount Sinjar, ISIL killed hundreds of Yazidis in at least six nearby villages. For example, 250–300 men were killed in the village of Hardan. Many others were killed for refusing to convert to Islam.
The Kocho Massacre
On August 15, 2014, in the Yazidi village of Kocho, south of Sinjar, over 80 men were killed. They had refused to convert to Islam. A witness said that the villagers were first forced to convert. Survivors reported that on August 15, all the men in Kocho, up to 400 of them, were gathered and shot by ISIL. Up to 1,000 women and children were taken away.
On the same day, up to 200 Yazidi men were reportedly killed in a prison in Tal Afar. They were killed for refusing to convert. These terrible events continued at least until August 25. On that day, ISIL killed 14 elderly Yazidi men in Sheikh Mand Shrine in Jidala, western Sinjar. Then they blew up the shrine.
How Many People Were Harmed
One person reported that on August 3, 2014, alone, 2,000 Yazidis had been killed across the Sinjar District. A Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament said that between August 2 and 5, 500 Yazidi men were killed by ISIL in Sinjar city. Women were killed or sold into slavery. Also, 70 children died from thirst or not being able to breathe while trying to escape ISIL.
A report from October 2014 by the OHCHR and UNAMI found that ISIL had killed up to 5,000 Yazidi men in August 2014. The Kurdistan Region estimated in December 2014 that about 4,000 Yazidi men, women, and children from Sinjar were killed or went missing since August.
A 2017 study by the PLOS Medical Journal estimated that between 2,100 and 4,400 people died. It also estimated that 4,200 to 10,800 people were taken away.
Help for People in the Mountains
Food Drops from Iraq, US, UK, and Australia
More than 40,000 Yazidis were trapped in the Sinjar Mountains. They were mostly surrounded by ISIL forces who were shooting at them. They had little food, water, or medical care and faced starvation.
On August 5, 2014, Iraqi military helicopters dropped some food and water for the Yazidis in the mountains. The US started their own supply drops on August 7. The UK joined three days later. France also promised aid.
On August 12, an Iraqi military helicopter crashed in the mountains. It was delivering aid and rescuing Yazidi refugees. The general flying it was killed. Most passengers, including Iraqi MP Vian Dakhil, were hurt.
On August 13, a large mission with 16 aircraft delivered supplies. These included US, Australian, and British planes. These supplies went to mostly Yazidi people stuck on Mount Sinjar.
US Air Strikes
On August 7, 2014, the U.S. President, Barack Obama, announced that the U.S. was starting air strikes. This was to stop ISIL from potentially killing thousands of Yazidis trapped in the Sinjar Mountains. Obama explained his decision. He said America helps protect its people and supports allies in danger. He said America leads countries to uphold international rules and values like freedom and dignity.
On August 8, 2014, US airstrikes began in the Erbil area. This is about 180 km east of Sinjar. The first airstrikes in the Mount Sinjar area happened on August 9. The US launched four strikes against ISIL vehicles. These vehicles were threatening people on Mount Sinjar. The Iraqi airdrops of food and water in the Sinjar Mountains, and their rescue of some Yazidis, were also supported by US airstrikes.
After the air strikes, the U.S. government spent five days talking about how to rescue people. They considered using US ground troops or airlifts.
Rescuing People from Sinjar
Kurdish Fighters Clear a Path
Between August 9 and 11, 2014, a safe path was created from the mountain. This allowed 10,000 people to leave on the first day. Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) entered the Sinjar Mountains with trucks and tractors. They helped sick and elderly people get into Syria. This was through a path cleared by Syrian Kurdish fighters (YPG).
According to Dr. Salim Hassan, a professor and spokesman for the displaced Yazidis, the PKK and YPG helped about 35,000 of the original 50,000 trapped Yazidis escape into Syria. The Sinjar District Governor said the path was set up by both Peshmerga and the YPG.
Mountain Siege Ends
On August 12 or 13, 2014, a small group of U.S. Marines and special forces landed on Mount Sinjar. They wanted to see how to rescue Yazidi refugees. British SAS (Special Air Service) were already there. They reported that "the situation is much more manageable." They found fewer Yazidis on the mountain than expected. Those there were in good condition. Because of this, a U.S. rescue mission for those still on the mountain became "far less likely," according to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
The U.S. government officially announced that the siege was over on August 13, 2014. This was reportedly due to US airstrikes and Kurdish fighters from Syria (People's Protection Units) and their allies (PKK) from Turkey. This allowed more than 50,000 refugees to escape. However, Professor Salim Hassan said that between 5,000 and 10,000 people still remained trapped in the mountains. They were afraid to go home and received aid from a lone Iraqi helicopter for months.
How the World Responded
International Organizations
United Nations – On August 13, 2014, the United Nations called the Yazidi crisis a "Level 3 Emergency." This meant it was a very serious situation. They said this would help get more resources like goods, money, and supplies. This would help the people forced to leave their homes. On March 19, 2015, a UN group said that ISIL "may have committed" genocide against the Yazidis. An investigation leader, Suki Nagra, said the attacks on Yazidis were "clearly planned."
Arab League – On August 11, 2014, the Arab League said ISIL was committing crimes against humanity by hurting the Yazidis.
Other Groups Helping
- Defend International started a worldwide campaign. It was called "Save The Yazidis: The World Has To Act Now." This was to make people aware of the terrible situation of the Yazidis in Sinjar. The president of DI, Widad Akrawi, dedicated her 2014 International Pfeffer Peace Award to all victims of persecution. This included especially the Yazidis and Christians.
What Happened Next
The Sinjar Offensive
After August 2014, ISIL held the town of Sinjar. Several thousand Yazidis stayed in the Sinjar Mountains north of the city. They received supplies from a single Iraqi helicopter. An escape road from the mountains north to Kurdish areas was controlled by Kurdish and Yazidi forces. American officials said some Yazidis saw the Sinjar Mountains as a safe home. They did not want to leave. A report from The New Yorker said some were afraid to return to their homes. Other Yazidis also came to the mountains after the August evacuations.
On October 21, 2014, ISIL took control of land north of the mountains. This cut off the escape route to Kurdish areas. The Yazidi militias then went into the Sinjar Mountains. The number of Yazidi civilians there was estimated to be 2,000–7,000. The mountains were again partly surrounded by ISIL.
On December 17, 2014, Peshmerga forces launched an attack. They had help from 50 US-led airstrikes on ISIL. Their goal was to free Sinjar and break the partial siege of the Sinjar Mountains. In less than two days, the Peshmerga took control of the mountain range. After ISIL forces left, Kurdish fighters first had to clear mines. But they quickly opened a land path that allowed Yazidis to be rescued. This operation resulted in 100 ISIL fighters being killed.
Late on December 21, 2014, Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters south of the mountain range met Peshmerga lines. This connected their two battlefronts. The next day, the YPG broke through ISIL lines. This opened a path from Syria to the town of Sinjar. By that evening, the Peshmerga had taken control of much of Sinjar.
Yazidis Return Home
After ISIL left the region in late 2017, both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments claimed control of the area. The Yazidi people were caught in the middle. Only about 15% returned to Sinjar. Yazidis came back to a town with ruined buildings, leftover bombs, and the remains of those killed during the massacre.
In November 2017, a mass grave with about 70 people was found. A month later, in December, another mass grave was found holding about 90 victims. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Human Rights Office, there are more than 200 mass grave sites across Iraq. The Yazda organization has documented many mass grave sites in the Nineveh Plain and Sinjar. In March 2019, the first mass grave site in Sinjar was carefully uncovered by Iraqi and UN teams.
In November 2023, Iraq's Minister of Immigration and Displacement, Ivan Jabru, announced that 1,150 displaced Yazidis had returned to Sinjar. He hoped more would return soon.
See also
- Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL
- Persecution of Yazidis
- Srebrenica massacre
