An Ezidi survivor of ISIS was found stabbed to death in her home. The victim, identified as a woman, was one of the survivors of captivity by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and suspicion has fallen on her husband.
The victim, a resident of Kojo village in the Shingal (Sinjar) district, belonged to the non-Muslim Ezidi community. She had gotten married four years ago after escaping ISIS militants. The victim, a mother of a three-year-old child, lived in the Tal al-Qasab complex.
According to an official source in the Shingal police, the incident occurred in the Tal al-Qasab complex within Shingal's borders. “The husband is believed to have stabbed her to death and is currently on the run, as he has not been apprehended yet.
The victim's family contacted authorities on Tuesday, March 4, to inquire about the husband, who is the primary suspect in the murder but remains at large. The police and other security services have launched an investigation into the incident and will update the public on any progress.
A relative of the victim, speaking anonymously to KirkukNow, revealed, "We were informed of her murder on Tuesday. She was killed by her husband inside the house, brutally stabbed with a knife."
The victim's body was transported from Shingal to the Forensic Medicine Department in Mosul on Tuesday before being laid to rest.
Shingal, situated 120 km west of Mosul, is home to over 100,000 Ezidis, a non-Muslim ethno-religious group. The region is a disputed territory between Baghdad and Erbil, with Ezidi populations also residing in Shekhan, Bashiqa, and other areas in Duhok Northern Province.
In 2014, ISIS seized control of large areas in northern Iraq and targeted local ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Ezidis and Christians, in a violent campaign to eradicate communities with opposing beliefs.
On August 15, 2014, approximately 2,293 Ezidis were killed by ISIS, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government's Office for the Rescue of Ezidi Abductees. To date, only 3,580 of the 6,417 Ezidis enslaved by ISIS have been rescued.
The term "Ezidi" is derived from "Ezdan," meaning God, and represents an ancient monotheistic religion that is considered an extension of the Mithraic faith. The sacred Ezidi texts, written in the Kurdish language (Kurmanji dialect), include The Book of al-Jalwa and the Black Book (Bushafa Rash), along with sayings, verses, and poems.
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 as the prominent leader overseeing the world.
Some view Ezidis as a distinct religious and ethnic identity separate from the Kurdish identity.
