On July 23, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored that the United States remains committed to supporting the ongoing recovery of the communities that suffered the most under ISIS, including locating the estimated 2,600 Yezidis still missing in Iraq.

“Over one million Iraqis remain displaced inside Iraq, including about 300,000 Yezidis; 2,600 Yezidis remain missing and unaccounted for. We are determined to find them, to learn their fates, and to rescue those who remain alive,” he said.

His comments came ahead of a meeting with Yezidi organizations in the United States, and ahead of the 10-year commemoration of the ISIS genocide against Yezidis.

Appreciate the opportunity to hear from Yezidi leaders and honor the victims of the Yezidi genocide perpetrated by ISIS terrorists 10 years ago. The U.S. is committed to supporting the survivors in pursuing justice and rebuilding their lives and homeland. pic.twitter.com/d36xTZzjvY

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 23, 2024

“At the meeting we discussed various aspects of the Yezidi genocide and the situation of our people 10 years after the genocide,” Co-founder and President of Sinjar Academy Murad Ismael told Kurdistan Chronicle. “We discussed eight key topics, including the need for a mechanism to rescue the remaining Yezidis and the exhumation of mass graves.” 

Executive Director of the Free Yezidi Foundation Pari Ibrahim, who also attended the meeting, told Kurdistan Chronicle that “Secretary Blinken made clear that they want to support Yezidi civil society and that they have not forgotten about the missing Yezidi women and girls. In our joint policy paper, we included recommendations on how to proceed on this sensitive topic.”

The Yezidi genocide perpetrated by ISIS in August 2014 in Sinjar resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, with many more being displaced to camps in the Kurdistan Region. 

Almost 10 years later, thousands of Yezidi women and girls are still missing.

“We’re here to listen to our friends and partners, to hear some of their stories, to hear in particular what we can do – what we can continue to do – to do right by those victimized by ISIS,” Secretary Blinken added.

Secretary Blinken said he has strong memories of that time, since he was serving in the U.S. government when ISIS attacked Sinjar. “I remember powerfully the suffering, the desperation of so many people, and the United States’ commitment to do everything we could to turn that around and to help protect those who were endangered.”

“I think one of the most meaningful ways that we can remember 10 years on – not only remember, but honor the victims – is to hear their stories, to remind ourselves of what people experienced, and continue to experience in different ways,” he said.

Most recently, the United States has invested $500 million specifically targeted toward the recovery of communities that were most affected by ISIS.

“This investment is on top of billions of dollars in assistance that we provided to help those who were most in need.

In October 2020, the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed the Sinjar Agreement with support of the UN, with the aim to stabilize the situation in the Yezidi-majority region of Sinjar. The agreement has not yet been implemented.

Read More: U.S. Encourages Baghdad to Address Militia Presence in Sinjar

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on May 1 called on the United States to use diplomatic channels to encourage Baghdad and Erbil to implement the Sinjar Agreement.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on July 23 that the United States believes “that the Sinjar Agreement was an important start for supporting those targeted in the 2014 genocide committed by ISIS.”

“But as you note, the agreement has not yet been fully implemented, which must be done in partnership with local communities, including the Yezidis. We continue to encourage the Government of Iraq and the KRG to implement the tenets of the Sinjar Agreement, including security, governance, and reconstruction in Sinjar. The upcoming 10th anniversary of the ISIS genocide represents an important moment to demonstrate meaningful progress, and that’s what Secretary Blinken discussed with those with whom he met today.”

Moreover, he said the United States continues “to advocate for the security of Sinjar to be in the hands of federal police and Iraqi security forces, including the local police force established under the Sinjar Agreement.”