Silvana Khidir, 30, the last Ezidi (Yazidi) girl rescued from ISIS, has two hopes: to resume her education and meet her mother again after ten years and five months of slavery during the ruling of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq ISIS.
The kidnapped Yazidi girl, a resident of the village of Kojo, home for Nadia Murad, Nobel peace laureate and UN Good-will ambassador, was rescued on December 7, 2024 in Idlib, Syria, when the fighting between the armed groups of the Jabhat Tahrir Sham JTS (Syrian Liberation Front) and the Syrian government reached its climax. She was resuced and reunited with her sister in the Sharia community in Duhok Northern Province.
The story of Silvana
On August 3, 2014, ISIS militants stormed the village of Kojo in Shingal (Sinjar), home for the non-Muslim Ezidi community, where Silvana was living in the center of the village.
“I remember when ISIS arrived in Kojo, the militants asked the village headman and my father to convert to Islam, but they refused. A few days later they had the same demand, but they insisted we will not quit our religion. They took our weapons and forced the people of the village to march to the school.”
Among those arrested were Sylvania's father, mother, five sisters, and a brother father.
“There they separated me from my family. I was moved to Mosul, my mother and sisters together to the village of Solakh – south of Sinjar – and my father and brothers to Tala'afar.”
Silvana was imprisoned in Mosul for 15 days and then fell ill and asked the fighters to take her to her mother and sisters in Solagh, and they took her there.
Thinking about running away
After a few days in Solagh, Silvana and her sisters think about escaping, but they were exposed beforehand.
After that, a number of kidnapped girls were transported in four buses to Raqqa, Syria, which was then under the control of IS fighters.
“Then we were moved to the city of Baghuz... The situation was very dangerous. I couldn't sleep for more than a month because of fear. There were constant bombings and explosions. It was really hell.”
In total, Silvana says she has been relocated more than 15 times during her stay under the control of IS fighters, her last residence being Idlib, where she lived in a house for 18 months.
In 2014, the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized vast territories in northern Iraq. Employing violent tactics, ISIS systematically targeted local ethnic and religious minorities—most notably Ezidis and Christians—in a brutal campaign to obliterate communities whose beliefs opposed its extremist ideology.
Silvana survived IS captivity and reunited with her sister, Duhok, January 2025. Ammar Aziz
On August 15, 2024, about 2,293 Ezidis were killed by IS, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government's KRG Office for Rescue of Ezidi Abductees.
"They tortured me severely. Sometimes they cut off my food for a week or more. They told me to go and pray. If I didn't pray, my punishment would be severe," she said.
According to the KRG Office for Rescue of Ezidi Abductees, over 3,580 of the 6,417 Yazidis kidnapped by ISIS have been rescued so far.
"I've seen so much trouble, I can't count. I've been bought and sold five times,” she bitterly recalls.
Silvana, who last lived in a house in Idlib, was brought back to Sharya camp on January 5 after receiving information from the Yazidi House in Syria and the Kurdistan Regional Government's Yazidi Hostages Rescue Office. She was reunited with her sister in Shaira camp of Duhok province.
Events in Syria, including the fall of the Assad regime, has become a loud reminder of kidnapped Yazidis’ case and the search for them has intensified.
“We have accurate information that there are about 600 Yazidis in Syria,” according to Mahma Khalil, Iraqi parliamentarian of the Yazidi community.
Therefore, they have warned the international organizations and the Iraqi government to find the Yazidis as soon as possible.
The term "Ezidi" originates from the word "Ezdan," meaning God, representing an ancient monotheistic religion that is considered an extension of the Mithraic religion. The sacred Ezidi texts consist of two parts: The Book of al-Jalwa and the Black Book (Bushafa Rash), as well as sayings, verses, and poems, all written in the Kurdish language (Kurmanji dialect).
Ezidism is an ancient Middle Eastern monotheistic ethnic religion that believes in one God who created the world and entrusted it to seven Holy Beings, known as Angels, with Melek Taus being the prominent leader with authority over the world.
Some Ezidis view Ezidism as both a distinct religious and ethnic identity, separate from the Kurdish identity.
Silvana Khidir, 30, shows how she was obliged to wear scarf by IS militants, Duhok, January 2025. Ammar Aziz
"Give me back my mother and my education"
"I am very happy to be rescued. My only hope is to see my mother again. My demand is that the fate of the other kidnapped people be revealed," Silvana said.
All five of Silvana's sisters survived at different times. Four of them went to Europe and one remains in the Sharia camp. Silvana's father and two brothers were killed. Her mother and brother are missing and their fate remains unknown.
She was in the ninth grade of primary school when captured by ISIS fighters.
“I would like to go back to school, but I have forgotten Kurdish,” she said. Silvana spoke to Kirkuk Now in Arabic.
There are an estimated 550,000 Ezidis in Iraq. Many members of this community were displaced, with over 100,000 Ezidis immigrating from Iraq, according to statistics from the General Directorate of Ezidi Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Ezidis mainly reside in the Sheikhan District, north of Mosul, administratively part of Erbil Province, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), and the Shingal (Sinjar) District (120 km west of Mosul, administratively part of Nineveh Province.
Silvana's grave
Silvana's relatives have been desperate for her fate since there were no any news about her. They prepared a grave for her and even held a funeral.
“There was nothing about her fate, so we prepared the grave for her,” said Raad Ahmad, Silvana's cousin.
In April 2024, Silvana's relatives received information that she was still alive, so they destroyed her grave.
"We waited for weeks and months to be rescued," Raad said. "Eight months ago we were informed again that Silvana was in Idlib. She was finally rescued with the help of the Yazidi House. It was a miracle for us.”
"I want to stay here," said Silvana, who now lives in a rented house with her sister in the Sharia community.
Maluka Khidir, Silvana's sister, who was rescued on September 12, 2018, hugged her.
“I will do whatever she wants. We will get her a new national identity card. We will also apply to Ezidi Affairs Office to get a salary for her.
All survivors of IS atrocities are entitled for moral and material compensation.
