U.S. decries Islamic State ‘genocide’ of Yazidis, Christians and others

U.S. decries Islamic State ‘genocide’ of Yazidis, Christians and others

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Editorial Staff in Islamic State, Yazidis

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Photo: Reuters

WASHINGTON,— The Trump administration denounced the Islamic State group on Tuesday for carrying out “genocide” against Yazidi, Christians and other religious minorities in areas under its control.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the group is “clearly responsible for genocide” against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq and Shiite Muslims in Syria and elsewhere. His comments were made as the State Department released its annual report on international religious freedom.

Tillerson said he was making the pronouncement to “remove any ambiguity” about previous genocide assertions made by his predecessor, John Kerry, who in March 2016, determined that genocide was occurring in Islamic State-held areas but was criticized by lawmakers and religious groups for not declaring genocide was taking place earlier. Neither administration’s genocide determination carries with it any legal obligation for the U.S. or others.

“ISIS has and continues to target members of multiple religions and ethnicities for rape, kidnapping, enslavement and death,” Tillerson told reporters in presenting the report.

“ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled. ISIS is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups, and in some cases against Sunni Muslims, Kurds and other minorities,” Tillerson said. “The protection of these groups – and others who are targets of violent extremism – remains a human-rights priority for the Trump administration.”

On August 3, 2014 Islamic State group captured most parts of Sinjar district in northwest Iraq which led thousands of Kurdish families to flee to Mount Sinjar, where they were trapped in it and suffered from significant lack of water and food, killing and abduction of thousands of Yazidis as well as rape and captivity of thousands of women.

Those who stay behind are subjected to brutal, genocidal acts: thousands killed, hundreds buried alive, and countless acts of rape, kidnapping and enslavement are perpetuated against Yazidi women. To add insult to injury, IS fighters ransack and destroy ancient Yazidi holy sites.

Nearly 3,400 Yazidi women and children, were still believed to be under IS captivity.

Around 200,000 or about half of the Yazidi population in Iraq fled into the Kurdistan Region or Syria in 2014. Many still remain in camps in the Duhok province.

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