20-Year-Old Yazidi Woman Sold to 10 ISIS Captors in Syria, Freed

While leaving the Baghouz city of Syria, ISIS captive Israa, 20, said she was sold to 10 different men.

ISIS captive who is now free.

(Photo: AP)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

In war-torn Syria, women have been sold into sex slavery for a long time.

After being taken captive by the Islamic State group, women were forced into sexual slavery and boys were taken to be indoctrinated into ISIS ideology.

On 7 March, Wednesday night, seven Yazidis, including two women, arrived in the area controlled by US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

One of them identified herself as Israa, 20, and said she was sold to 10 different men.

Many Yazidis, followers of a minority faith, are still missing five years after ISIS militants stormed Yazidi towns and villages in Iraq’s Sinjar region and abducted women and children.

Isra and Adiba Murad, 21 who has been through a similar situation – took off their veils and burned them in front of women fighters of the Women's Protection Units, or YPJ (a part of the SDF) as a sign of emancipation.

Isra watches her veil burn.(Photo: AP Screenshot)

“The first time they made me wear it (the veil), I felt like I was being suffocated. It bothered me a lot. I didn’t want to wear it but they wouldn’t let me, they said everyone is wearing it. Every time I was alone, I’d take it off...I wish I could bring Daesh (Arabic acronym for Islamic State) and burn them like I burned my clothes.”

Israa, Former ISIS captive

Civilians are finally evacuating the last foothold of ISIS in Syria while the US-backed Syrian forces continue the battle to uproot the militants.

With the latest evacuations, hundreds of ISIS fighters, Syrians and foreigners have surrendered or been captured.

They are in addition to about 1,000 foreign fighters the SDF has been holding.

(With inputs from AP)