Duhok, a province in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, recently witnessed a heartwarming reunion. Samiya Smu Khodeda, a courageous Kurdish-Yezidi woman, has finally been freed after enduring nine years of captivity at the hands of ISIS extremists. Overwhelmed with joy, Samiya and her husband, Dakhil Hassan, have decided to rekindle their love and remarry, embracing a future that is rooted in hope and resilience.

In the tragedy that unfolded in 2014, when ISIS fighters attacked Sinjar (Shingal), many Kurdish-Yezidi girls and women suffered the unimaginable fate of being kidnapped. Samiya's story is just one among many that highlight the harrowing plight faced by Yezidi women since that fateful attack. Thousands of Yezidi women were snatched and subjected to unspeakable atrocities, including rape, sexual assault, and constant abuse during their captivity.

The journey of Yezidi women like Samiya is a testament to their unwavering spirit and the enduring power of love. During her interview with the Kurdistan Chronicle, Samiya shared chilling details of her time in captivity. "When the ISIS extremists attacked, I was at my mother's house for the 40th summer holiday celebrations, when suddenly the ISIS extremists kidnapped us. Our first stop was Mosul, where we stayed in a prison for a long time surrounded by over 200 other women and girls who had also been snatched from their homes and families."

Samiya's voice quivered as she recounted the horrors she witnessed and endured. The systematic cruelty inflicted upon her and countless other Yezidi women is a stark reminder of the urgent need for justice and healing. Her liberation, though a ray of hope, represents only a fraction of the long road to recovery that the Yezidi community must undertake.

Indomitable spirit and unwavering love

Amidst the darkness that shrouded their lives, the reunion of Samiya and Dakhil offers a glimmer of light. Dakhil, who stood by Samiya's side throughout the arduous nine-year separation, emphasized the depth of their love. "Samiya and I were deeply in love for five years before we tied the knot. However, only nine months into our marriage, tragedy struck, and Samiya was cruelly torn away from me by ISIS," he shared. Their love story, once filled with dreams and promise, was suddenly overshadowed by uncertainty and despair.

As Samiya and Dakhil begin their journey of healing, their resilience becomes an inspiration to the Yezidi community and the world. Their reunion in Duhok serves as a symbol of hope, igniting a collective desire for justice and a future free from the shadows of the past.

In their pursuit of closure, Samiya and Dakhil express their gratitude for the support they have received from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). However, the path to reclaiming their homeland in Sinjar is currently obstructed by various armed forces. Their yearning for peace and the restoration of their lives echoes the sentiments of the entire Yezidi community, as they hope for Sinjar to remerge as a place where tranquility prevails and they start to rebuild their shattered dreams.

Samiya's indomitable spirit and Dakhil's unwavering love stand as beacons of strength in the face of unimaginable adversity. Their story represents the countless Yezidi women who have suffered at the hands of ISIS and serves as a call to action for justice, healing, and the protection of the most vulnerable in society.

In August 2014, ISIS militants seized control of Sinjar, the Yazidi heartland in northern Iraq, resulting in a series of devastating consequences for the minority community. Over 400,000 Yazidis were compelled to flee their homes to escape the violence and persecution. Tragically, those who were unable to escape, including men and older women, faced brutal killings, with the remains of over 5,000 victims discovered in mass graves. Additionally, an estimated 6,417 women and children fell victim to enslavement, enduring unimaginable hardships at the hands of their captors.

The KRG’s Yezidi Rescue Office, established by KRG President Nechirvan Barzani, has played a significant role in rescuing thousands of Yezidi individuals, particularly women and children, from the clutches of ISIS, offering hope and a chance for a brighter future.

Rojhat Loqman is a Kurdistan-based journalist with 10 years experience with different media organizations.